A young Romanian woman who sustained severe face injuries in a car crash two years ago showed reporters a big smile yesterday as she prepared to return home after a year of reconstructive surgery in Taiwan.
The woman, identified only as Christina, had three stages of reconstruction work done at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital’s renowned cranial and facial surgery department, starting in April last year.
At a pre-departure press conference, Christina, who will turn 21 in May, expressed gratitude to the surgical team at the hospital.
“I’ve got my chin and teeth back. Not only can I now chew, but I’ve also stopped drooling,” she said in her newly learned Mandarin.
UNSUCCESSFUL SURGERY
After the accident in Romania that smashed her mouth and chin, Christina had two unsuccessful surgeries. Her family then turned to the Dallas, Texas-based World Craniofacial Foundation, which helped her get booked into Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.
Lin Chih-hung (林志鴻), head of the surgical team, said Christina had suffered compound injuries involving the lower lip, chin and jaw.
In the first reconstructive procedure performed in April last year, the doctors rebuilt her chin using bone grafts from her lower leg.
In the second surgical procedure in October, they rebuilt her jaw in preparation for dental implants.
NEW TEETH
The third phase of surgery performed last month implanted teeth into her lower jaw and completed repair work to her chin and lower lip so that her mouth could close, Lin said.
Christina was discharged from the hospital, accompanied by her mother, two weeks after the surgical procedures were completed.
The entire reconstruction work cost NT$1.6 million (US$55,100), costs which were borne fully by the hospital. The full cost of accommodation for the patient and her mother during their three visits to Taiwan were covered by a Chang Gung employment fund.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
ENHANCING EFFICIENCY: The apron can accommodate 16 airplanes overnight at Taoyuan airport while work on the third runway continues, the transport minister said A new temporary overnight parking apron at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is to start operating on Friday next week to boost operational efficiency while the third runway is being constructed, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The apron — one of the crucial projects in the construction of the third runway — can accommodate 16 aircraft overnight at the nation’s largest international airport, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told reporters while inspecting the new facility yesterday morning. Aside from providing the airport operator with greater flexibility in aircraft parking during the third runway construction,
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would
RSS