PLASTICS & RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY
WHEN ALLISHA MONIZ-SLATER WAS EXPERIENCING stubborn jaw pain on the left side of her face, she had no idea that it was a rare and aggressive tumor — ameloblastoma. Doctors informed her that, over time, it would continue to grow and eventually would affect her ability to breathe, eat and speak while also causing her face to become disfigured. Allisha was told to resign herself to a life of hiding her disfigured face. Thankfully, Dr. Jennifer Robinson, Plastic Surgeon with Island Health, knew she and the team at Royal Jubilee could do better for Allisha and that a life of covering her face was not an option. Allisha’s complicated surgery lasted around 15 hours. In order to extract the tumour, Dr. Robinson had to remove Allisha’s lower left jaw and rebuild it using sections of bone from her fibula. After surgery, Allisha spent five days in the Intensive Care Unit, followed by three weeks in the Patient Care Centre. She could not breathe on her own, her jaw was wired shut and she could not speak, eat or do anything independently. But despite the intricate and complex surgery, Allisha was well on her way to recovery. The tumour was gone and Allisha’s face was beginning to heal. “As a surgeon, it’s imperative that my patients are able to regain their quality of life after leaving my hands. When my team and I have the best equipment and technology to perform our delicate work, the whole community benefits. People on Vancouver Island who need reconstructive or plastic surgery can take great comfort in the fact that we are well-equipped to take good care of them,” says Dr. Robinson. This campaign is funding one infiltration pump so that Dr. Robinson and her colleagues may provide the very best reconstructive surgeries. Plastics & Reconstructive Surgery Equipment: $7,200 victoriahf.ca/plasticsreconstructivesurgery