Boy David surgeon made me realise that it’s not just about us saving lives and faces..it’s about saving souls too
Dr Kongkrit Chaiyasate is a skilled surgeon who has rebuilt the faces of five babies who were set to be slaughtered as they had cleft palates.
He has also saved the life of a Russian child whose face had collapsed and operated on members of a Jamaican family who suf fered from a rare bone-fusing facial condition.
Dr Chaiyasate was inspired by Professor Ian Jackson, a Scot who found fame after he reconstructed the face of a Peruvian boy left to die in the Amazonian jungle and went on to become known as “The Boy David”.
The 45- year- old plastic surgeon said his career dream is to follow in the footsteps of the pioneering Glasgow surgeon and save not just lives but souls too.
He said: “I met Dr Jackson in 2004, during my third year of general surgery training, and in an instant he changed my life. Until I met him, I had no interest in plastic surgery and pictured myself as a transplant or heart surgeon. He showed me that saving souls was just as important as saving lives.
“I trained under him for two years and was amazed by the ground-breaking operations he was doing, which were changing his patients’ lives beyond recognition.
“For many, Dr Jackson was their last hope. He’d think outside the box and push the boundaries of surgery to find a solution that would give patients their confidence and lives back.
“But what inspired me more than anything was his charity work. He’d help anyone in need and put aside a budget to treat people from thi rd world countries who were facing persecution or even death because of their deformities.”
Prof Jackson died earlier this month, aged 85, following a battle with Alzheimer’s. But his legacy lives on in his protege.
During his distinguished
I was inspired by his charity work – he’d help anyone in need
career, Jackson helped patients in Scotland and the US, where he founded the Ian Jackson Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Clinic in Michigan.
His charitable work set him apart from other surgeons. Not only did he rebuild the face of his adopted son David – whose nose and jaw had been ravaged by a flesh- eating disease – he did the same for hundreds of other poverty-stricken children and adults.
Dr Chaiyasate, who took over when Jackson retired, is now performing complex surgeries in his mentor’s memory.
He said: “When Ian retired in 2011, I took over at his clinic at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, with the intention of not only growing his groundbreaking surgery legacy but continuing his humanitarian work.
“Since 2016, I’ve brought in an extra $200,000 a year, which the hospital sets aside to treat people from third world countries who could never afford surgery.
“By doing this, I’m ensuring Dr Jackson’s memory is kept alive. The biggest tribute I can give him is to keep helping others who can’t help themselves. For patients facing devastating injuries or severe birth defects, nothing is more powerful than hope.”
A few months ago, he finished a series of extraordinary surgeries on Jamaican mum Cherry Gayle and her two daughters, Mary and Maria, who all suffer from the same rare genetic condition – Crouzen syndrome.
He said: “The disorder caused their eyes to bulge so dramatical ly their eyelids couldn’t close, even during sleep. My team and I were able to reshape and resculpt their skulls. It was a long process and everyone at the hospital gave their time for free. Cherry and her daughters have returned to Jamaica, where hopefully they can live a better and more normal life.”
Last year, he reconstructed the faces of five babies from Burkina Faso who faced being executed by town elders for having a cleft palate.
He said: “In certain countries, a facial anomaly is a stigma or a curse and that leads to the execution of children who look different. It’s heartbreaking.
“The mums of these f ive babies gave them to the Ray of Hope Medical Missions to smuggle out of the country and they broughtght them to me. I was able to do surgeries thath will ll allow them to smile again.”
In 2018, Dr Chaiyasate, who is originally from Thailand, helped Nigerian student Chidi Tagbo, who had written to him after reading how he had performed a successful skin graft on a man whose face had been ravaged by a cancerous tumour that left his brain exposed.
He said: “Chidi asked if I could help remove a baseball- sized skul l tumour that was threatening brain damage and permanent blindness. Along with a team of Beaumont surgeons, we managed to take the tumour away and rebuild his skull over a mesh implant. Chidi is now back in Nigeria studying to be a doctor.
Dr Chaiyasate added: “Many of the reconstructive procedures Ian invented – such as the groin flap and the walking flap – are still used today. He was ahead of his time and would give anything a go if he thought there was a chance it might work.”
The medic, who is creating a book of Ian’s techniques, added: “Dr Jackson was my inspiration. I’m doing my best to pass on his values and teachings to the next generation as a man like him should never be forgotten.”