We are proud to share this beautiful letter from Angelica Flores, a Plastic and Craniofacial patient’s mom. This holiday season brings to mind the past two years that the team at Children’s Medical Center has been involved in our lives. When my daughter was diagnosed with a cleft lip, the reassurance from Dr. Kane and his team [...]

A few months after Taylor’s surgery, the tumor showed no signs of returning. But Cheryl, his mother, began noticing a strange side effect: Taylor began compulsively scratching around his left nostril. She first asked him to stop, then told him to stop—to no avail. “He just kept saying, ‘It itches, Mama. It itches,’ ” she [...]

As a psychology fellow who regularly works with craniofacial patients, Celia Heppner, Psy.D., understands your child’s struggles, and your challenges as a parent trying to do the right thing. Here, our expert shares some of her best advice. 1. PREPARE A STORY. Their peers frequently ask children with facial abnormalities about their appearance. Help your [...]

Doctors in Oklahoma had said Madison Birdwell was going to lose her leg. Enter Dr. Andrew Trussler, a plastic surgeon on the medical staff at Children’s Medical Center. He succeeded in taking a muscle flap called the soleus from the calf, rotating it upward and wrapping it around Madison’s damaged leg. When he visited Madison’s [...]