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.
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