October 2005  -   Etkaterinburg, Russia

Surgical Humanitarian Trip to Russia: 2005 In the fall of 2005, I was invited to participate on a Face to Face humanitarian mission to Russia. This organization has been going to international locations for over 13 years with a goal of helping children with congenital or traumatic injuries. Face to Face has been going to Etkaterinburg, Russia for 10 consecutive years. They work in conjunction with doctors at the Bonum Center to treat children with craniofacial anomalies. Craniofacial surgery is a highly specialized area dedicated to reconstruction of facial bone anomalies. These surgeries are very tedious and lengthy. It is not unusual for once case to take eight to twelve hours, requiring a main surgeon and one or two assistant surgeons. As a result, it is not unusual to complete five surgeries over the course of a week, as these surgeries are very time consuming. Etkaterinburg is one of the largest cities in Russia. It is situated on the border between Europe and Asia at the foothills of the Ural Mountains. The city's claim for fame is the fact that the czar and his family were assassinated during the Bolshevik Revolution. A monument now stands at the site where this occurred, known as the Temple of Crypt. During our stay in Etkaterinburg, we performed a variety of surgeries, such as a mid-face advancement, using an osteogenic distractor that was donated by one of the plating companies that manufactures these devices. We also performed orbital reconstructions, cleft lip repair, and some jaw advancement surgeries. Our organization has an excellent relationship with the Russian doctors at this location, and we are able to obtain good follow up on patients that have been cared for by our organization in the past. During this stay, each of the four surgeons gave a lecture on reconstructive topics.