Returning to Armenia!

After five years, we finally returned to Armenia in October. The mission was led by Dr. Andre Panossian, who resumed his mentorship of two local pediatric plastic surgeons, providing specialized facial reanimation surgery and reconstructions for children born with nerve paralysis or hemangiomas. 
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Yerevan, a beautiful and bustling city with a history dating back to 800 BC, has recently seen the immigration of 100,000 exiled Russians and an equal number of ethnic Armenians displaced from Azerbaijan after losing the two-year battle for Artsakh (AKA Nagorno-Karabakh.) This influx has significantly impacted the city and its healthcare system, which provides free surgical care and hospitalization for all children from birth to age 18. Producing highly specialized surgeons is especially challenging for a nation of only 3 million people, making Dr. Panossian’s work all the more critical. During the pandemic, he used smart-glass technology to consult virtually and assist Armenian surgeons when travel was impossible.

Our first patient on this trip was Ani, an 11-year-old girl who practically leaped for joy when we told her she was a good candidate for reconstructive surgery. She skipped into the OR, and after recovery, she was grinning from ear to ear. As Azerbaijan refugees, her family is rebuilding their lives in Armenia, and it was heartwarming to provide her with this surgery and witness her self-esteem blossom overnight. 

Ani was just one of 11 patients that week—ranging from siblings born with cleft palates (the brother, an amazing Duduk* player), to a young girl burned as a baby, whose contractures were affecting her ability to move her neck. One traumatized patient had already endured seven unsuccessful surgeries to close her palate. Each patient brought a unique and heartbreaking story, but by the end of the week, it was a journey filled with hope.

​For the non-Armenian volunteers, it was also a week of history lessons, and for all the children, it was a week of life-changing care and renewed possibility.

As we look ahead, we plan to expand our program in Armenia to include other medical specialties, ensuring that more children receive the specialized life-changing care they deserve. You can help us continue this critical work by supporting our future missions. Please consider contributing to our Armenia mission and be a part of bringing hope and healing to even more children in need.

* a double reed woodwind instrument made of apricot wood.

Mend a Child

together, we are mending kids!

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In case you missed it

Mending Kids was recently featured on Lacey Chabert’s Hallmark+ series Celebrations, which highlights inspiring individuals making a difference. In the episode “Carmela's Peruvian Fiesta,” our board member Carmela De Brouwer was recognized for her incredible work supporting Mending Kids and providing life-saving surgeries to children around the world. The episode captured Carmela’s deep commitment to service, particularly in her native Peru, with a heartwarming celebration filled with culture and joy. If you missed it, you can still stream the episode and join us in continuing to heal more children!

Celebrations with Lacey Chabert - Episode 7