A Patient Story: Beloved’s Fresh Start

A Patient Story: Beloved’s Fresh Start

Dr. McGann first met Beloved in 2010, while serving as a volunteer for Fresh Start Surgical Gifts. Fresh Start is a local San Diego organization dedicated to transforming the lives of disadvantaged infants, children, and teens suffering from physical deformities by giving them the gift of reconstructive surgery and related healthcare services.

As a nine-year old boy, Beloved suffered a devastating facial injury from a land mine blast in his native Zimbabwe. Local doctors, without access to modern reconstructive technologies, did their best to stitch together his tongue and lips, taking tissue from his abdominal wall to fashion a mouth. Despite their best efforts, the result was hard to look at, and even harder to live with. Beloved was called terrible names, including “Monster”; but when he returned to school, his face proved such a distraction that he eventually refused to return.

Read the incredible story of how Dr. McGann and a team of physicians from the local San Diego Fresh Start Surgical Gifts organization performed more than five reconstructive jaw surgeries on Beloved to restore his smile and give him back his “beautiful gems”.

Dr. McGann & Beloved During One of Their Five Reconstructive Surgeries

Discover Beloved’s and other inspiring McGann Facial Design patient stories here: McGann Facial Design Patient Stories

To learn more about or become involved with Fresh Start Surgical Gifts, click here.