FACES Foundation takes pride in the ability to provide life-changing surgeries for children in Peru. The children, however, are not the only ones to have their lives changed: members of the FACES Surgical Team often remark on the impact their service has on their personal lives. Two young team members in particular had very meaningful experiences.
Makena Kerr and Julia Davis are both high school seniors who are interested in pursuing careers in medicine. Their service with FACES has given them a vision of the impact they can make as trained medical professionals.
Dr. Jessyka Lighthall (left) shows Makena the details of a cleft repair
Makena Kerr joined the team in the position of Patient Representative. She herself has undergone several cleft surgeries, allowing her to empathize with the patients on a profound level. Her mother, Barbara, also supported FACES by traveling with her daughter and speaking with the patient’s families, comforting them and providing valuable insight from a mother’s perspective.
Makena hopes to be a surgeon, and in a recent interview with the Columbian about her experience with FACES, she said, “It really touched me how one surgery could touch a child’s life. It makes me want to be a surgeon even more. I really want to go on medical missions as a surgeon.” Click here to read more.
Julia Davis learned of FACES Foundation from her Aunt, Beth deLaney, a recovery room
Julia observes bedside manner from her aunt, Beth, who is the FACES Team Lead for recovery nursing
nurse who has volunteered with FACES for the past three years. Last summer, Julia traveled to Panama for a month of community service and language immersion. She joined the FACES team in Peru this year as an interpreter. Of her experience, she wrote the following:
“This trip inspired my heart and my mind. My appreciation and knowledge of other cultures grew in just one week. I learned more then I ever thought I could have: solidifying my aspirations to become a nurse, no longer shying away from my dreams, and finding a passion and respect to those on the team who have dedicate their lives to helping others. I am so appreciative for the relationships formed with the inspired medical team, dedicated family members of the brave patients, and supportive community members. I will never forget the gratitude felt by the families, hugging and kissing us as they left the hospitals with mementos of photographs.”