FACES OF HONOR – Honoring Our Service Men and Women
We are pleased that in 2009 FACES OF HONOR joined our FACE TO FACE Programs. The purpose of FACES OF HONOR is to offer pro bono medical and surgical expertise to veterans who received face, head, or neck injuries while serving our Country.
Our motivation is simple: provide a "thank you" to the brave men and women who have served our country so well, by offering our surgical expertise and skills as caring physicians.
The FACES OF HONOR Program is coordinated by the AAFPRS Foundation. Our role is to serve as a resource to help find surgeons willing to provide surgery to qualified veterans without a surgical fee to the patient. The Foundation does not provide medical or surgical care.
The Academy does not enter into a physician/patient relationship with anyone. Not all Academy members perform all procedures included in the field of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. The Academy makes no warranties or representations about the skills of individual physicians or surgeons or their abilities. Inclusion of a surgeon on the list of volunteers for this program does not indicate that the surgeon is qualified to perform the surgery needed. The Academy does not provide medical advice, and no one should rely on the Academy's statements in this document as providing such advice. Patients should rely exclusively on their physicians and surgeons for such advice.
Theda C. Kontis, MD Offers Medical Expertise to Foundation FACES OF HONOR Applicant
For soldiers who have been injured in the line of duty, the AAFPRS FACES OF HONOR Program offers pro bono cosmetic surgical care.In 2018 we received two applications for this program, the first of which Dr. Theda C. Kontis, of Baltimore, MD accepted as a patient.
Mr. Wade Spann served for three years in Operation Iraqi Freedom and in March of 2018, he contacted the Foundation inquiring about the FACES OF HONOR program. His face and nose were injured in an explosion which resulted in difficulty breathing through his nose and loss of nasal tip support. He was seen by Dr. Kontis, who stated, "It was heartbreaking to see how this injury has affected this young man. He was dealing not only with physical, but also emotional injures from his trauma. It was MY honor to help him with his breathing issues and help improve his quality of life."
Mr. Spann underwent nasal septoplasty, nasal valve reconstruction and cosmetic nasal tip surgery in November 2018. To see his transformation and hear in his words how this has changed his life, his journey is documented in a short video segment. To access this video, please click here
To Our Veterans and/or Military Personnel
Please allow us to introduce you to the FACES OF HONOR program. First and foremost, our Academy and Foundation leadership and members would like to personally thank you for your service in the military. We are extremely indebted to you and your fellow service members for answering the call of our great nation to protect our country.
The purpose of FACES OF HONOR is to offer pro bono medical and surgical expertise to veterans and active duty members who were injured while serving in the United States Armed Forces. We simply want to provide a "thank you" to the brave men and women who have served our country. Some may have already received treatment in a military hospital while on active duty and may have been discharged. Others may have relocated to their home base and remain on active duty, being cared for by a DOD or VA medical facility. Some veterans may be from the National Guard or reserve, some may be geographically separated from a VA facility, and some may just want an additional caregiver consultation. Our volunteer surgeons are offering to help compliment the care that these facilities and medical staff provide, but we are not trying to compete with them. We want to help eligible veterans find a qualified surgeon with the best matched skills, and hopefully in a fairly convenient location.
If you are a military service member or veteran who was injured while serving our country and have facial, head or neck injuries sustained either in combat or non-combat/support activities, you may be eligible for these services. You should however be able to demonstrate medical documentation of care rendered by the military for your war related injury. This can include paper work from Landstuhl Regional Medical Center or any other Military or VA facility.
Please refer to the "Guidelines for Applying", "Application Form" and "Authorization for Release" for details of this process.
With this program the AAFPRS leadership and Academy members relish the opportunity to say "thank you" the way we know best. Again, we would like to reiterate our sincere gratitude to you and your families for your sacrifice for our nation.
Click here if you would like to make a donation and help support the work of the
FACE To FACE FACES OF HONOR Program.
Contact Karen Sloat (ksloat@aafprs.org) if you are an AAFPRS Member who would like to volunteer in the FACE To FACE FACES OF HONOR Program (or if you are a facial plastic surgeon who would like to join the AAFPRS and participate).