About Face: A Story of Healing

On March 19, the UMass Plastic Surgery Volunteer Team traveled from Boston, MA to Salinas, Ecuador to help those who do not have access to proper medical care.

The medical team was made up of 16 people including volunteers from Brigham and Women's and St. Elizabeth's Hospitals with support from Draeger Medical Company and CHANGE of Shrewsbury, MA. In only 5 days the team preformed 61 different surgeries. Many of the patients were children and majority of afflictions were cleft palates, extra toes, skin constrictions (amniotic bands) and webbed fingers and toes.

I had the privaledge to, not only photograph these families as subjects, but to get to know them as people. I want to thank all of the families that granted me access to such a critical time in their lives.

At left, a young girl is comforted by her mother after a surgery to repair a fistula (hole) in the roof of her mouth, which connects to her nasal passage.

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On display at Wheelock College from 3/20 - 4/20/07.