Surgeons from Canada and the United States perform reconstructive surgery for wounded Ukrainians

For the third time, the Face the Future Ukraine mission of Canadian and American reconstructive surgeons took place in Ivano-Frankivsk. Reconstructive surgeries on the face and neck for 32 wounded Ukrainians were performed by doctors from Canada, the United States and Ukraine.

Fifteen specialists came to Ukraine to perform complex surgeries, including reconstructive and plastic surgeons, an oculoplastist, an anesthesiologist and nurses. The specialists performed 88 surgical interventions, and most patients had combined injuries.  

“Every year we carry out missions in different parts of the world, but it is in Ukraine that we encounter the most serious cases. No surgeon has ever encountered such injuries unless they have been in a war zone. We are going to return to Ukraine again to help restore the faces of as many soldiers as possible. All of them are definitely heroes who stand for the freedom of their people,” says Peter Adamson, founder of Face the Future Foundation.

During the mission, the experts shared their knowledge at an international symposium for surgeons on Reconstructive Surgery of Military Head and Neck Injuries and a symposium for nurses on Peculiarities of Managing Patients with Military Traumas and Post-Traumatic Disorders.

“Preparations for this mission begin long before our foreign colleagues arrive in Ukraine. Over the past five months, we have examined more than a hundred patients to plan surgeries, select specialists, and develop individual implants for some patients. This is a great team effort. It is very valuable that many of the surgeries are performed for the first time at the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Hospital. During these missions, we not only restore health to our military, but also learn from the experience of our foreign colleagues and begin to perform new surgical interventions on our own," says Natalia Komashko, head of the mission on the Ukrainian part.

One of the 32 patients of the international mission was 29-year-old Oleksiy.

“My daughter did not recognize me after being wounded. I dream that doctors will give me back my face,” the military says before the surgery.

The man was seriously wounded in the Donetsk sector. During an assault on enemy positions, he came under mortar fire — a mine exploded a few meters away. His comrade-in-arms was killed, and Oleksiy’s face and arm were severely injured. He was in a coma for the first five days, and then could not speak or eat for several months. His nose, chin, and lip were completely torn apart, and the debris destroyed some of his bones, but doctors managed to “reassemble” the soldier’s face. The Face the Future Ukraine mission team undertook the surgery to restore the lost part of the nose.

“We performed a 4-hour surgery on Oleksiy, during which we took cartilage from a rib and used it to reconstruct the back of his nose. We also performed a skin graft from the forehead to the nose and removed the scar that crossed the man’s face. The final result will be seen in six months,” says Anthony Brissett, director of the Face the Future Ukraine mission.

During the previous mission, which took place in October last year, 30 reconstructive surgeries were performed on wounded Ukrainians. The patients included soldiers from different parts of Ukraine. All of them had severe mine-blast wounds to their faces and necks. In total, over three missions, the team of specialists restored physical health and aesthetic beauty to more than 92 Ukrainians. All reconstructive surgeries were free of charge for the patients.

For reference: the humanitarian program was created through the cooperation of Face The Future Foundation, Razom for Ukraine, Still Strong, in partnership with the CF “Patients of Ukraine”, the project “Rehabilitation of War Trauma”, the Ukrainian Association of Endoscopic Head and Neck Surgery, the Regional Clinical Hospital of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Council, Healing The Children North East East, Umana, with the support of the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration, Metinvest, Nova Ukraine, Materialise, Yellow Blue Force Foundation, Transmed, Medtronic.