Surgeons prepare to rebuild face
A surgeon preparing to reconstruct the face of an Invercargill woman who has endured decades of bullying and stares says he is full of admiration for her.
Southern District Health Board head and neck surgeon Matthew Leaper will lead a team of two other surgeons, two anaesthetists and at least a dozen nurses in what will be a 12-hour operation on the face of Christine Brown.
Brown was born with neurofibromatosis, which causes multiple tumours to grow on nerves in her body, including her face.
When aged 7, a massive tumour dragging down her face was operated on for the first time. Now 54, she has endured 16 facial operations since, but none have been successful in lifting the right side of her face.
However, Leaper and his team of specialists plan to rectify that.
‘‘Our goal is to correct some of the deformity,’’ Leaper, a surgeon for 12 years, said.
If successful, the surgery would lift the right side of Brown’s face, rectify her hearing and fix issues with her eye.
Brown is missing part of her right cheekbone and jaw.
‘‘We have got to the point where that side of her face is pulling down on her eyelid and her ear canal has been stretched to the point it’s no longer functioning,’’ Leaper said.
Her right ear canal needs shortening so she can hear in that ear again, and her eyelid needs lifting.
The work needed would be done in about three separate surgeries, Leaper said.
He had spoken with Brown about the options available to the surgeons and was impressed with her attitude.
‘‘She’s a very courageous and pragmatic lady who has been through a lot ... we could all learn a lot from her.’’
Brown’s surgery would be one of the most difficult jobs Leaper has done in his career, but he would have an able team at his side, including head and neck surgeon Jamie Ryan and maxillofacial surgeon Rohan De Silva.
‘‘It’s easy to lift things, the challenge is to try and give her an enduring result,’’ 44-year-old Leaper said.
No date had been set for the surgery, with planning in its infancy.
Leaper was ‘‘quietly confident’’ of a successful outcome, but guarded given Brown’s multiple previous procedures.
‘‘Hopefully we can give her an ear canal that works, hopefully we can give her an eyelid that works a lot better and hopefully we can correct some of the droopiness and structure on that side of her face.’’
Brown, who is often stared at in public, said earlier this week, that she hoped the surgery would make her face look ‘‘symmetrical’’, but was realistic.
‘‘Even if they can only lift the ear up and it sits there permanently so my glasses sit on my face, I will be more than happy.’’