Mater surgeon Richard Lewandowski has brought smiles to the faces of more than 30,000 children around the world. Source: The Catholic Leader.
The plastic, craniofacial and reconstructive surgery specialist is the founder of Operation Smile Australia – a medical charity dedicated to helping children in low-income countries born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities.
The charity, based at Mater’s South Brisbane health campus, is celebrating its 25th birthday this year.
To date it, has sent 864 medical volunteers from Australia to 36 countries across South-East Asia, Africa and South America – and successfully treated more than 30,000 young patients.
“It’s been an incredible journey,” Dr Lewandowski said.
“What we do is much more than an operation. It’s life-changing for children, their families and sometimes whole communities.
“Afterward, the lives of our young patients can finally go back to normal. They are no longer ostracised by society, they are accepted and can go back to school, get an education and make a positive difference to others. It’s so gratifying to see and be part of that process.”
It was during a fellowship in the US in the mid-1990s that Dr Lewandowski first met Dr Bill Magee, the founder of Operation Smile, who encouraged the young surgeon to recruit Australian volunteers to help children in need in the Asia-Pacific region.
With the support of wife Sue, the Mater Board, Sr Angela Mary Doyle and many colleagues at Mater, Operation Smile Australia was founded in 1999.
Dr Lewandowski said Operation Smile Australia initially focused on sending volunteers on medical missions to South-East Asia to treat children born with cleft lip and palate conditions.
Over the years, the organisation has expanded its reach across Asia, as well as venturing into Africa and South America.
“These programs not only deliver critical surgeries but also invest in local healthcare capacity, with the ultimate goal being for these countries to be fully self-sufficient in providing this level of surgical care,” Dr Lewandowski said.
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Mater surgeon brings a smile to 30,000 young faces (By Michael Howard, The Catholic Leader)
