The day after I was born, a geneticist was able to inform my parents that I had a rare congenital birth defect, though they were unsure how to proceed. The condition caused the bones of my skull, mid-face and spinal column to be malformed, causing a multitude of other medical problems.
SPOTLIGHTS
Why We Give
Several years ago, Nick O’Neill and Mary Valiante found themselves in the happy position of being able to increase their charitable donations. After researching myFace and the work the organization does, Nick and Mary felt myFace would fit perfectly with their desire to support patients in need of facial reconstruction.
A Father’s Reflection
I have a quick reflection about fatherhood and love that I’ve been meaning to write about for awhile. As a father one of the biggest things I learned about parenthood from my dad was to love and sacrifice. For different people those things manifest in an infinite number of ways.
Face-transplant recipient meets dead donor’s sister
myFace is honored to provide critical psychosocial services to Richard Lee Norris on an ongoing basis including speech therapy, nutritional support and psychological counseling. myFace additionally provides airline transportation and housing to Richard when he travels to NYC for his medical appointments. He has become an integral member of the
Posada Delivers in Clutch
By: William Montgomery for Times Herald-Record NEWBURGH — A few hundred Yankees fans gathered at Orange County Choppers on Sunday to wait for an autograph and handshake from Jorge Posada. They brought bats and balls and posters. And it was all for a good cause. Posada was joined by his
I am Ellie
By Ellie My name is Ellie, I’m 16 years old and I was born with a craniofacial syndrome called Pfeiffer Syndrome. Because of this, I’ve had multiple surgeries on my skull and face, I had a trach for 6 years and I’ve worn a hearing-aid my entire life. At exactly
What is Beauty? Ft. Margaret Porcelli
It’s easy to say that we don’t judge people by the physical barrier that we see, but most people have a hard time seeing past what is on the outside. It’s a shame that people are quick to judge based on the structure of one’s face, and the truth is
What is Beauty? Ft. Ilya Karkover
At some point in my law school studies I decided I wanted to be a trial lawyer. More specifically, I wanted to be in front of juries arguing criminal cases. Like some of my television heroes from Law & Order, I relished the idea of passionately stating my case and
What is Beauty? Ft. Jack Demeter
The life accomplishment I am most proud of is being voted captain of the Lafayette College basketball team. Growing up it was always a dream of mine to play Division 1 basketball. I achieved that goal when I was accepted to Lafayette. Over my four years, through blood, sweat and
What is Beauty? Ft. Margaret Shair
My college years were both the most arduous and wonderful years of of my life. I spent an ac-cumulated eight weeks in the hospital the summer that I turned twenty, for the first series of reconstructive jaw surgeries. Almost everybody was telling me to take time off from college to
