Helping facial-different children face the world with a smile

02/11/2021 14:57

In an enduring symbol of UK-Vietnam friendship, the Facing the World (FTW) foundation has worked since 2008 to put smiles on the faces of Vietnamese children with facial deformities. FTW CEO and Trustee Katrin Kandel explains how the foundation chose Vietnam for its programme and how a shift in approach has helped its work to become more sustainable and effective.

Hanoi (VNA) – When Facing the World (FTW) began its work years ago, its modus operandi was to bring children needing complex facial surgeries from all over the world to the UK.

“We then saw a very high incidence of children being brought over from Vietnam; and we were then invited to go to Vietnam by another charity to see what the situation was,” FTW CEO and Trustee Katrin Kandel said.

The occurrence of birth defects in Vietnam is estimated to be ten times higher than in neighbouring countries. 

“So it became clear to us that this would be the first country where we would roll out our programme,” Kandel said.

Over the years, the programme has succeeded in transforming the lives of many children and youth.

Finding new look

“My wife broke out into tears when she saw Chinh for the first time after giving birth to him.”

Pham Duc Dung, Chinh’s father, remembers the moment vividly, almost three decades on.

“She grieved for him and for herself.” 

Pham Duc Chinh, 28, was born to a poor farmer couple in a small village in the northern province of Thai Binh.

He was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder characterised by craniofacial abnormalities. In Chinh’s case, this included down-slanting eyes, absence of cheekbones, underdeveloped ears and a cleft palate. 

“His condition was so severe that he stayed at hospitals more often than home during his first three years,” the father told Vietnam News Agency. “I remember his being at emergency rooms all the time.”

When Chinh turned five, his parents decided he should have a normal life and must go to school like other kids do. They took him to hospital after hospital in Hanoi, only to learn that there was nothing much doctors could do about his condition. 

The young boy’s facial differences made school a difficult place to be. “Absent ears made it particularly hard for me to listen in open spaces like classrooms or halls.” But it was not the only problem. 

“I was bullied by classmates and younger kids ran away from me in fear,” Chinh recalled.

As time went by, Chinh began to face up to the fact that his facial deformities would be with him forever.

Then, out of the blue, he got a call from a doctor at Hanoi’s 108 Military Central Hospital three years ago. The compassionate doctor offered to sign him up for a charity project run by FTW so that he could receive free reconstructive facial operations. 

Katrin Kandel, CEO of Facing the World, (sixth from left), Britain’s Prince Andrew, Duke of York (fifth from right), and Mai Hong Bang, director of 108 Military Central Hospital (fourth from right) at the inauguration of the Centre for Craniofacial and Plastic Surgery in 2018. (Photo courtesy of 108 Military Central Hospital)

Chinh went through three plastic surgeries in just one year to reconstruct his eyelids, nose bridge and cheekbones. The surgeries were done at the Centre for Craniofacial and Plastic Surgery established in the 108 Hospital with FTW support in 2018. 

“It has been more than a blessing to us,” his father said. They had been waiting for this opportunity for so long.

Now he is finally able to face the world with a lot more confidence.

Facing the World experts and doctors from Viet-Duc University Hospital examine a child. (Photo courtesy of Viet-Duc University Hospital)

Ha also said they used to contact FTW experts two times every month, but this has now become once every two months or even less, with consultation sought only in very complicated cases.

He said that with the availability of sophisticated equipment, his department can perform “single stage auricular reconstruction by pourous polyethylene frame using single incision endoscope-assisted for temporoparietal fascia harvest…”, in other words, ear reconstruction, one of the most difficult plastic surgery techniques.

“The Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery Centre of Viet-Duc University Hospital is one of a few centres in the world that can successfully carry out the technique”, he said, adding that the advantage of the method is that the patient only needs one surgery at a very early age (4-5 years) and can benefit from better aesthetic results than other methods.

Equipment support

Apart from providing corrective surgeries, the foundation has worked with its Vietnamese partners to identify medical equipment needed during the COVID-19 pandemic and facilitated the donation of 28 advanced monitors worth 308,000 GBP (530,000 USD) to the country.

“We identify truly game changing equipment. We don’t donate consumables (things used once and then thrown away). We have donated items like microscopes, ultrasound machines and endoscopy towers,” Kandel said.

Since the latest phase of the FTW programme was launched, more than 2 million GBP of medical equipment has been donated, including inTouch telemedicine to Hong Ngoc, Viet Duc, K (Cancer) and 108 Military Central hospitals as part of expanding national and international links and treatment capabilities.

FTW has collaborated with the Royal College of Surgeon of England in granting global accreditation to the Viet Duc University Hospital and 108 Military Central Hospital.

“It was important for the foundation that the approach be assessed by an outside body. The accreditation has given the hospitals a standing within the international medical community,” Kandel said.

Talking about future plans, she said the foundation is hoping that international travel resumes and that doctors will be able to travel freely once again. 

“We want to resume taking doctors from Vietnam for fellowships to all our partner hospitals in the USA, Canada and the UK.”

A surgery conducted by a Canadian mission at the 108 Military Central Hospital in 2018. (Photo courtesy of Facing the World)

Kandel said the foundation also wants to restart sending missions to its partner hospitals in Vietnam, increase the telemedicine platforms internationally and finally continue to donate game-changing medical equipment. 

For his part, Chinh, now a university researcher, is hoping to have one or two more surgeries to make eating and communicating easier.

“It is a test of my inner strength and destiny,” he said./.

Khanh Ly – Mai Hien/vietnamplus.vn