Brisbane surgeon Dr Richard Lewandowski (pictured with patient Anshuman Sharman) has literally brought smiles to the faces of more than 30,000 children around the world.
The plastic, craniofacial and reconstructive surgery specialist is the founder of Operation Smile Australia – a medical charity dedicated to helping children in low-income countries born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities.
The charity, based at Mater’s South Brisbane health campus, is celebrating its 25th birthday this year.
To date it has sent 864 medical volunteers from Australia to 36 countries across South-East Asia, Africa and South America – and successfully treated more than 30,000 young patients.
“It’s been an incredible journey,” Dr Lewandowski said.
“What we do is much more than an operation. It’s life changing for children, their families and sometimes whole communities.
“Afterward, the lives of our young patients can finally go back to normal. They are no longer ostracised by society, they are accepted and can go back to school, get an education and make a positive difference to others. It’s so gratifying to see and be part of that process.”
It was during a fellowship in the USA in the mid-1990s that Dr Lewandowski first met Dr Bill Magee, the founder of Operation Smile, who encouraged the young surgeon to recruit Australian volunteers to help children in need in the Asia-Pacific region.
With the support of wife Sue, the Mater Board and many colleagues at Mater, Operation Smile Australia was founded in 1999.
Dr Lewandowski said Operation Smile Australia initially focused on sending volunteers on medical missions to South-East Asia to treat children born with cleft lip and palate conditions.
Over the years, the organisation has expanded its reach across Asia, as well as venturing into Africa and South America.
A special focus has been on supporting and training advanced cranio-facial surgery teams in Vietnam
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| Danila, patient Brazil, before | Danila, patient Brazil, aft |
and the Philippines, ensuring future generations can receive complex care in their own countries.
“These programs not only deliver critical surgeries but also invest in local healthcare capacity, with the ultimate goal being for these countries to be fully self-sufficient in providing this level of surgical care,” Dr Lewandowski said.
In addition to international missions, Operation Smile Australia’s World Care Program has brought 41 patients to Mater Hospital Brisbane for specialised treatment that would not have been possible in the patients’ countries of origin.
One of those patients was Anshuman Sharma, from India, who received surgery at Mater in 2018.
“Anshuman was born with Apert syndrome, a condition that affects the skull, face and hands. The bones of the skull close prematurely, preventing the skull from growing normally and affecting the shape of the head and face,” Dr Lewandowski said.
“Anshuman underwent four separate surgeries with incredible results that have had a long-lasting impact on his life.
“He is now 22 years old, living in New Delhi and enrolled in a Bachelor of Law and Arts at ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Law University in New Delhi.”
Dr Lewandowski was recently reunited with Anshuman while he was visiting Brisbane to attend his brother’s graduation at The University of Queensland.
“Before my surgery my life was troubled, because I was not accommodated in society,” Anshuman said.
“Now people accept me.”
Cleft lip and palate
- Cleft lip and cleft palate are abnormal gaps in either the upper lip or the roof of the mouth (palate).
- The condition occurs when some parts of the mouth fail to join together during early pregnancy.
- It is possible for a baby to be born with only a cleft lip, only a cleft palate, or a combination of both.
- These disorders can result in feeding, speech and hearing problems
- A cleft lip or palate can be successfully treated with surgery. and dental care may also be needed.
- The worldwide incidence of cleft lip with or without cleft palate is 1 in 700 births.
