The myFace foundation is one of those foundations that goes under the radar. I’m sure many of you who read this have never even heard of myFace. I know that I had never heard of myFace, that is until August 2015. In just one short year, I have grown to love this foundation and what it stands for. I recently got to talk with Carolyn Spector, who is the Executive Director of the myFace foundation. I want to fill you in on what myFace is.
Their mission is: “myFace is dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with facial disfigurement, with a special focus on children and their families. myFace funds medical, surgical, dental and psychosocial services as well as research and public awareness.”
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myFace, which was formerly the National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction, was founded to address the all-too-visible plight of those with facial deformity by assuring them access to the comprehensive and highly personalized team care at the Hansjorg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center. The department provides highly specialized, integrative and personalized team care to all the patients who request treatment, regardless of the severity of the condition of the patient, the length of treatment, or the family's ability to pay for care.
When speaking with Ms. Carolyn, she mentioned that in America alone, one in 700 children is born with an oro-facial cleft and one in 1,600 is born with facial asymmetry, a missing ear, a jaw deformity, or a defect of the skull, nerves or facial bones. These are the children of myFace. This is what myFace stands for.
One thing that makes myFace so unique is the level of comprehensive care provided. Patients and their families can come to one place for their needs, both in terms of medical treatment and support. Patients along with their families can come to one place for their needs, both medical and support.
The myFace foundation became an important part of my life during my dad’s surgery and recovery time (check out this article for more information on my dad’s surgery).myFace has many different initiatives that play a huge role in their foundation. One of the most important initiatives is the The Newman Family Support Center. The team at Newman includes a clinical psychologist, social worker, pediatric nurse practitioner, geneticist, speech pathologist, nutritionist, and a family program coordinator. This team provides counseling for psychiatric, genetic, behavioral, pre-natal and post-natal, social, mentoring, speech, medical issues and resource. myFace also hosts networking, educational and therapeutic programs for patients and their families. They also provide an apartment for out-of-town families while their loved one is receiving treatment and surgery, along with complimentary round trip tickets on Southwest Airlines. Seriously, you can not believe the relief this organization brought my family to not have to worry about housing and transportation during the surgery process for my dad. Not only do they help you during the process of surgery, they also offer support groups. They currently have four different support groups: parent support group, 10-14 support group, teen/adult support group, and a sibling support group. What I love most about this foundation is that they continue to help you even after surgery. The myFace foundation is one that deserves more credit than it gets.
myFace, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Carolyn, Dina, Eddie, Denise, Chloe, Savnnah, and everyone else involved- thank you, thank you, thank you. My family will never be able to repay for everything you did for us, from living to transportation and everything in between. You guys are awesome. You all have a special place in my heart.
To learn more about myFace and what the foundation stands for, click here.
To donate to myFace, click here.
