Humanitarian Heroes

The AAFPRS Foundation would like to spotlight two of our Humanitarian Heroes!


 

 





Manoj T. Abraham, MD

Poughkeepsie, New York

Domestic violence is a national tragedy. Survivors of domestic violence often suffer from emotional and well as the physical trauma inflicted by their abuser. The AAFPRS FACE TO FACE Domestic Violence Project offers pro bono services to hundreds of survivors helping them to regain their confidence and take those final steps toward a normal life.

Deborah Marotta was referred to the AAFPRS FACE TO FACE Program in February of 2017 with multiple fractures to her nose from a domestic violence incident that occurred in 2010. Many times, survivors take years to seek help as they first recover emotionally from their abuse before taking steps to seek assistance to repair the physical results of the trauma. In late 2017, Manoj T. Abraham, Poughkeepsie, NY, accepted Ms. Marotta as a patient. Dr. Abraham is the current Chair of the FACE TO FACE Committee and is active in the FACE TO FACE Humanitarian Program.  In May of 2018 Dr. Abraham filmed this reveal as Ms. Marotta saw the results of her rhinoplasty surgery for the first time. And, although most survivors are hesitant to openly share their story, her reaction reflects the impact that our volunteer physicians have on the lives of survivors who have been through so much. See her emotional response in this short video.

 

 





Theda C. Kontis, MD

Baltimore, Maryland

For soldiers who have been injured in the line of duty, the AAFPRS FACES OF HONOR Program offers pro bono cosmetic surgical care.  In 2018 we received two applications for this program, the first of which Dr. Theda C. Kontis, of Baltimore, MD accepted as a patient.

Mr. Wade Spann served for three years in Operation Iraqi Freedom and in March of 2018, he contacted the Foundation inquiring about the FACES OF HONOR program. His face and nose were injured in an explosion which resulted in difficulty breathing through his nose and loss of nasal tip support. He was seen by Dr. Kontis, who stated, “It was heartbreaking to see how this injury has affected this young man. He was dealing not only with physical, but also emotional injures from his trauma. It was MY honor to help him with his breathing issues and help improve his quality of life.”

Mr. Spann underwent nasal septoplasty, nasal valve reconstruction and cosmetic nasal tip surgery in November 2018. To see his transformation and hear in his words how this has changed his life, his journey is documented in a short video segment.