There are hundreds of thousands of children around the world, many in under-developed countries or in under-privileged social situations, who suffer from facial deformities. These may be congenital, such as the common cleft lip and palate (about one in 500 births), or more uncommon such as microtia (absent ears) or maxillofacial and craniofacial syndromes (creating abnormal faces with small or large jaws, cheeks and skull, along with ear, eye and nose deformities). Sometimes the problems are post-traumatic with facial scars, burns or bone fractures that have not been repaired. And sometimes they are post-cancer resection in cases where the necessary reconstructive procedures are not available.
Since 1996 Dr. Adamson has worked through the foundation he founded, the Face the Future™ Foundation, to bring together expert teams of surgeons, orthodontists, nurses, social workers and other health professionals to treat such children. Altogether he has led 24 missions to Siberia, Rwanda and Guatemala to provide needed care, working side-by-side with local surgeons to help them manage their most complex cases and also share current knowledge and techniques.
2013 has seen missions to Ulyanovsk and Ekaterinburg in Russia and Kigali, Rwanda. Three new missions are being planned for 2014.
The foundation has had recent changes to its Executive Director position. Melanie Lovering, the Foundation’s very first Executive Director, has just stepped down due to new professional commitments. She was instrumental in establishing a strong organizational framework for the foundation and everyone who has worked with Melanie has wished her every success in her new endeavours. The foundation has been very fortunate to have hired a new Executive Director, Anthony Holl, CFRE, to further develop its mission – to face the future, one child at a time. Support for the foundation began with a very generous donation from one of Dr. Adamson’s patients in 1996. It has subsequently been possible to mount the 24 missions through additional donations from numerous friends of the foundation and an annual fundraising dinner which is held every spring.
If you would like to know more about the Face the Future™ Foundation and its missions, you can telephone our office at 416-323-3900 or visit our website at http://facethefuturefoundation.ca.