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HAITIAN GIRL WITH 16 POUND TUMOR-LIKE GROWTH ON HER FACE IS RECOVERING FROM HER THIRD SURGERY
International Kids Fund continues to raise funds for her remaining operations
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| 3rd Operation Group |
MIAMI (July 14, 2006) – Marlie Casseus, the Haitian girl with a 16 pound tumor-like growth on her face, is recovering from the third
surgery conducted yesterday at Holtz Children’s Hospital to reconstruct the upper mid-portion of her face.
Six months after her last surgery, the team of doctors led by Jesús Gómez D.D.S., a maxillofacial surgeon from the University of Miami Leonard
M. Miller School of Medicine, rebuilt her upper midface, forming a nasal bridge and upper lip and correcting her hipertelorism or extreme separation of her
eyes.
"The operation went really well for Marlie and she is now recovering at the Intensive Care Unit. We have used an implant that comes in small parts,
enabling us to give more harmony to her features" explained Dr. Gómez. During the operation, a team of specialists accompanied Dr. Gómez,
among them ocular plastic surgeons Wendy Lee and Kami Parsa, from the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.
Marlie will still need one or two more cosmetic surgeries and the International Kids Fund (IKF), a program of the Jackson Memorial Foundation that has
sponsored her medical treatment, continues to raise funds to help her.
"She continues to improve every day emotionally and physically. Like many kids her age, she likes playing videogames and watching television, but
above all, Marlie enjoys reading books for hours, especially cook books. She is an adolescent that has the hope and will to live, to be a normal
person, to go to school and become a great artist when she grows up," stated Maria Luisa Chea, director of IKF.
Shortly after her second operation Marlie was able to visit her family back in Haiti and also the Make a Wish Foundation granted her the opportunity to
visit Disney. "Marlie is very happy because her life has completely changed and recently, for her 15th birthday, she told me her greatest wish is
to be able to eat normally and go home," said the girl's mother, Maleine Antoine.
Marlie's tumor-like growth had been brought about by a rare condition named Polysostotic Fibrous Dysplasia, which is characterized by uneven growth,
pain, brittleness and deformity of the affected bones. The growth first became evident six years ago and it grew over Marlie’s nose and mouth,
rendering her unable to eat, breathe or speak on her own. Before the two operations conducted last December and January by Dr. Gómez and his
medical team at Holtz Children’s Hospital, only her eyes, nostrils and a tooth could be recognized from her severely swollen face.
People interested in making a tax-deductible donation to IKF can mail their check or money order to:
International Kids Fund
Re: Marlie Casseus
P.O. Box 012297
Miami, FL 33101
Miami Phone: 305-585-5888
Toll Free: 1-877-IKF-KIDS (1-877-453-5437)
It is very important to include "Marlie Casseus" on your check or money order in order to allocate the funds properly.
Donations can also be made online by visiting www.internationalkidsfund.org.
For further information, potential donors may also write to info@internationalkidsfund.org.
About the International Kids Fund (IKF)
The International Kids Fund (IKF) at Holtz Children’s Hospital, a program of the Jackson Memorial Foundation, seeks to provide medical care to needy children
from around the world who suffer from serious illnesses that cannot be treated in their countries. The fund ensures these children receive the best care
possible at Holtz Children’s Hospital of the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, one of the nation’s premier teaching hospitals. For more
information or to make a contribution, contact the International Kids Fund at:
P.O. Box 012297
Miami, FL 33101
1.877.IKF.KIDS
http://www.internationalkidsfund.org
info@internationalkidsfund.org |
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