Surgical Friends Foundation

WELCOME TO SURGICAL FRIENDS FOUNDATION

Surgical Friends exists to provide free reconstructive surgery and post-operative care to young adults living with physical deformities. Our only mission is to unite philanthropists, reconstructive surgeons, and public/private partnerships with patients who live with difficult and life-threatening deformities and who do not have access to necessary medical treatment.

HOW WE WORK
Surgical Friends Foundation exists to repair damage caused by birth defects, accidents, tumors & disease. They follow up with an intentional aftercare and rehabilitation program, and they teach physicians and fellows during the process so they may carry on the Surgical Friends mission and ultimately create scores of Surgical Friends Medical Teams around the world.
The Surgical Friends team provides surgical care both in the US and abroad.

Domestic Mission
Surgical Friends Foundation takes patients at their clinic in Beverly Hills. Any patient with a physical deformity that requires reconstructive surgery, regardless of race, age, gender, or place of birth will qualify to be evaluated by the foundation. These deformities may be congenital in nature or post-traumatic. Typically these patients lack adequate insurance to pay for quality healthcare, or they come to us from developing countries that do not have access to medical care.
To be selected, each patient will submit an online application to be reviewed by the committee. A predetermined committee formed by a physician and medical providers will review the patient’s application, including a detailed medical history and medical records. Once determined that a patient qualifies for a reconstructive surgery, the patient will be selected to receive a full comprehensive, in person or virtual consultation, with an assigned qualified reconstructive surgeon or reconstructive surgical team. A surgical plan will be determined by the reconstructive surgeon assigned to the case, who at that point will make the diagnosis and outline the necessary procedure(s).
If you know a patient or you yourself would like to be considered for possible life altering surgical treatment, and you meet our criteria, please submitting the necessary application.

Patient - Elena

The typical surgery in the US costs $25,000. Click here to read about Elena’s story.

International Mission

Medical teams from developing countries contact Surgical Friends and request their unique expertise in reconstructive surgery and care. Globally, poverty and limited access to medical care yields staggering deformity rates. Children born with birth defects and those with deformities from injuries due to war or terrorist acts suffer an almost inconceivable fate. Many are abandoned or ostracized. While many countries have facilities to take care of these children's basic needs, they cannot give children with deformities what they really need — corrective surgery to restore their emotional well-being, physical acceptance and quality of life.
The local team will ensure that over the course of their stay the most serious cases are evaluated and provided with the necessary surgery and aftercare. During the trip great care and intention is given to training the local medical team, and to remain a resource to them, establishing a life-long relationship. Ultimately these young patients will have better access to quality care and skilled volunteer reconstructive surgeons as a direct result of the trip and the physician training and support.
The medical team that volunteers their time and expertise to Surgical Friends possess undaunted dedication, facing some of the harshest environments and obstacles to achieve their goals. Volunteers are proud ambassadors of goodwill, not only to the patients themselves, but also to their families, communities, and homelands. Surgical Friends anticipates that volunteers will be eager to return again and again to provide life-changing surgeries for the children, each trip transforming into a labor of love.

OUR GOALS

To collaborate with medical professionals and philanthropists improving the quality of children's lives -- functionally and aesthetically.
To create educational opportunities to help medical professionals become self-sustaining in meeting the need for pediatric reconstructive surgery in developing countries.
To provide advanced education by leading specialists in the field.
To provide donated medical equipment and supplies required in the practice of reconstructive surgery to local pediatric hospitals that demonstrate the capacity to carry out the surgeries long-term.

OUR VALUES

Work with host colleagues in a collaborative effort to meet the needs of specific pediatric patients.
Adhere to the highest standards of medical ethics and personal integrity.
Improve the quality of lives of children.
Partner with local organizations and work collaboratively towards a shared goal.
Freely share knowledge and skills with appreciation and awareness of the host countries healthcare values and needs.
Achieve results through volunteer and philanthropic efforts, with no political or religious affiliations.

OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Patient - Elena
The Foundation successfully completed its first surgery in August, 2009. Elena was born with an oculofacial deformity. She had more than six surgeries in her native country. Because of her disease she cannot close her eyelids fully and has problems with constant irritation of the eye. Surgical Friends and their medical team provided reconstructive eyelid surgery. Elena can now close her eyes when she sleeps, she is not prone to dry eye and infections, and her quality of life is improved.

The foundation has two mission trips scheduled in 2010.

Cambodia
The first mission trip is to Cambodia from January 2nd – 10th where the Surgical Friends Medical Team of four will work with a local pediatric hospital to provide necessary reconstructive surgery to victims of war.

St. Vincent Island
The second trip, April 3rd -11th, is to the island of St. Vincent with a Surgical Friends Medical Team of ten. The Team will be met by a local medical team and will provide life-altering surgical procedures for up to 20 patents during their stay.

STATS AND FACTS

Founded in 2009 by Dr. Kami Parsa
Each international surgical procedure costs $750 per patient
Each US surgical procedure costs $25,000
Over 98% of our funds go directly to surgical missions

The Need

For many of the 2.4 billion people living in the world’s poorest regions, only 5% of the needed emergency and essential surgery is performed.
Estimations show that in the US and Europe nearly 10,000 operations are performed annually for every 100,000 persons. In places such as Tanzania, Pakistan, and Malawi the number is roughly 300 per 100,000.
45.7 million People in the US are without health insurance.
Medical expenses are cited as the reason for bankruptcy in about half of filers.
In today’s conflicts, 90% of the victims are civilians and if they survive they are left with physical deformities
In most developing countries, children with deformities are not allowed into schools