Amherst plastic surgeon puts smiles on faces of boy, parents
A year-old Galapagos Island boy was born with a cleft lip and a cleft palette, facial deformities that could force parents to disown their child in many Third World countries.
His name is Christian, and his parents decided to keep him and to find a way to have him treated.
With no money, the road to recovery could have taken years. But luckily for Christian’s sake, Dr. Jeffrey Meilman, an Amherst plastic surgeon has performed surgery on him twice in the last year at no charge.
“When I got off of the plane, there they stood — mother, father and child—each with a big smile on their face,” Meilman said. “The kid looked beautiful. He couldn’t have gotten this treatment any other way. This surgery sort of made him the star of the deal.”
Christian is considered a star because his surgeries were both unexpected. Meilman first performed surgery on the child at his home in 2008. He did not intend on operating on anyone while in the Galapagos, but there was no other way to fix Christian’s lip.
When Christian’s parents heard of Meilman’s trip to Ecuador, they traveled more than 600 miles to have him finish the job just over a week ago. Meilman, along with three other physicians, six nurses and eight volunteers, had traveled to Ecuador to treat children and teach native physicians for three days.
About 30 children and 25 adults were treated, with either cardiovascular or cosmetic surgeries. Ecuador marks Meilman’s 19th consecutive trip as part of the Hope For Tomorrow Foundation, a nonprofit organization that assists the medically needy.
“It’s very, very eye-opening,” said Ursula Campanella, vice president of Campanella Orthotics and Prosthetics and a physician who helped on the trip. “We are so lucky here. When people in America complain, like, ‘We don’t have this,’ and ‘We don’t have that.’ They don’t know what these people are going through.
“These poor people are overlooked because there just isn’t money to help them. It’s not just cosmetic, it’s medically necessary. If it wasn’t for us, these people could not have had any help — surgeries, prosthetics, cardiovascular or cataracts. It is truly exciting. It’s an honor to help these people.”
Cataract specialist and ophthalmic surgeon Ken Anthone taught the locals how to handle eye care and how to work with patients with eye problems.
Cardiovascular surgeon Hratch Karamanoukian worked specifically on 25 patients between the ages of 40 to 60. Each had varicose veins. He said after word-of-mouth information traveled on their first day of work, there was a line of 75 people looking to be treated the next morning.
“In these countries, people will show up at 7 a. m. or earlier, trying to get medical attention,” he said. “Even if they are the last patient of the day, they will sit until it is their turn. It’s not like the U. S., where there are complaints after a 30-minute wait. So many people showed up, we couldn’t help them all. We just didn’t have enough equipment.”
It may seem tough for people in the United States in the current economy, Meilman said, but hardships are even worse in Third World countries. He said he was impressed with the doctors’ performances and willingness to help in any way.
“It shows so much more dedication,” he said. “These people honestly didn’t have to go, but because they did, these people’s health is much better off. They did it, and they did it well.”
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