Surgical missions cost money Supplies, travel, and coordination all add up before a single operation begins. Dr. Andrew Jacono found an unusual way to help cover those costs: climbing mountains.

The New York facial plastic surgeon has summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Cotopaxi in Ecuador, and Mount Elbrus in Russia during fundraising campaigns. The proceeds support two groups he has served for years: survivors of domestic violence and children who need reconstructive surgery.

Funding Missions Abroad

The children’s work is extensive. Dr. Andrew Jacono has operated on more than 750 young patients through Healing the Children, the HUGS (Help Us Give Smiles) Foundation, and THAI Children. About twice a year, he travels with fellow surgeons, and sometimes family, to countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Cleft lip and palate, microtia, facial tumors, and burn scars are common cases. Beyond physical problems with eating or breathing, these conditions can keep children away from school and community life.

Supporting Survivors at Home

The climbs also benefit people closer to home. Through the FACE TO FACE project of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, where he is senior advisor, he has given free facial reconstructions to more than 100 domestic violence survivors.

Fundraising for survivors is a long habit. He chaired ABOUT FACE: MAKING CHANGES, an annual benefit, for nine years. His surgeries for survivors were featured on Facing Trauma, which aired in 2011 on Discovery Fit & Health and later on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Recognition has come from several directions. The Center for the Women of New York gave him a “Good Guy” Award in 2006, and Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy commended him in the Congressional Record.

Each climb draws attention to causes that might otherwise get little notice. For Dr. Andrew Jacono, the mountain is a means to an end. The real destination is an operating table where a child or survivor receives care they could not have paid for themselves. Refer to this article to learn more.

 

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