Giving Back
How Our Plastic Surgeons Help People Throughout the World
Reconstructive Before & After Photos
Plastic surgeons are capable of making positive change both at home and abroad. One of the wonderful things about plastic surgery is the ability to transform the lives of children and adults in need - safely and with minimal equipment and risk. In the Sacramento area, across the U.S. and worldwide, there are many organizations that provide the opportunity to help the needy.
Dr. Kaufman spent a year as the Jerome Webster Fellow for Interplast, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping those across the globe who do not have access to plastic surgery. Since then, he has continued to do his part using plastic surgery to make the world a better place. Each year, Dr. Kaufman volunteers two weeks of his time to improve the lives of children and adults that have no other access to plastic surgery services.
Dr. Clark has also taken part in humanitarian medical missions. During her residency training, she traveled to Haiti, Guatemala, and Peru to perform reconstructive surgery on both children and adults. Her humanitarian efforts provided free care to people suffering from facial and body deformities caused by birth and trauma related injuries. Dr. Clark feels her experiences as a surgeon on these missions have been some of the most enriching of her life.
Here are some examples of the people Dr. Kaufman has been able to help through volunteer plastic surgery.
Pedro is a 37-year-old man from Leyte, Philippines. He was born with a cleft lip, but was unable to get this congenital deformity corrected.
He dreamed of getting married and starting a family, but felt ostracized due to his condition. A one-hour operation corrected his cleft lip and he returned home later that day. We all wish him success and happiness.
Maria is a 21-year-old Filipina who was born with a cleft lip and palate. She and her family were unable to afford repairs of this deformity. With the help of Interplast, Dr. Kaufman repaired her lip and palate and gave her new hope for integrating into society.
This one-year-old boy from Myanmar had a bilateral cleft lip. It was repaired during a one-and-one-half hour operation, and it offered him the chance to grow up without the stigma of this congenital abnormality.
Bay Area Charities
Recently, Dr. Kaufman and Dr. Clark volunteered with Hospital de la Familia, a medical center funded by a Portola Valley group dedicated to improving the overall condition of the developing area of Central America. This unique model is a center for continued care in many disciplines, with continuity of care provided by local physicians in training. If you are interested in supporting these organizations, please contact our plastic surgery practice, the organizations directly, or The Smile Train, an international organization dedicated to repairing the cleft lips of the world's poor.
For more information on helping to remedy congenital deformities among those in need through plastic surgery, contact Kaufman & Clark Plastic Surgery.
