Stories from the Road: Help Us Give Smiles Foundation

Jennifer C. Kim, MD, on behalf of the Humanitarian Efforts Committee

Jennifer C. Kim, MDOur foundation’s mission is simple yet powerful: Help us give smiles. Founded by Vito C. Quatela, MD, a pioneering otolaryngology-head and neck surgeon dedicated to facial reconstructive surgery, the Help Us Give Smiles (HUGS) Foundation sends volunteers annually to Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru, and Vietnam, to provide free surgeries for children and young adults suffering from cleft lip, cleft palate, microtia, cleft rhinoplasty, facial paralysis, and other congenital facial deformities. These surgeries not only change lives—by improving speech, hearing, and nutrition—but also restore appearance, helping to boost patients’ confidence and self-esteem. 

The author, companions, and local surgeons during their most recent trip to Vietnam.In addition to providing surgical care, our teams offer community education, follow-up services, and training to local healthcare providers. Every smile we help restore moves us closer to a world where all children have access to the life-changing care they deserve.

Says one HUGS Foundation volunteer of the experience, “When we touch down in Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru, or Vietnam for a mission, we arrive to bare shelves. In 12 hours, we put together a fully functioning surgery center. Our medical volunteers don’t waste a minute. We want to start changing as many lives as we can—as soon as we can.”

Collaborating to Build Surgical Capacity and Advance Global Surgery

The HUGS Foundation does not work alone to carry out this invaluable work. The Steven C. and Carmella R. Kletjian Foundation, co-founded by Mack Cheney, MD, director of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Office of Global Surgery and Health, provides a crucial network of support. Led by Dr. Cheney and supported by the Kletjian Foundation, the Office of Global Surgery and Health is committed to strengthening local otolaryngology departments worldwide. The office collaborates with in-country training hospitals and medical schools to enhance educational infrastructure, expand surgical capacity, and improve the quality of care delivered in underserved regions. This comprehensive approach ensures that progress is long-lasting, and that local providers are equipped to care for their communities independently.

Among the other organizations working with the Hugs Foundation is Medical Missions for Children (MMFC). Since 1991, MMFC has provided free surgical care to children in remote and underserved regions worldwide. With over 450 surgical trips under its belt, MMFC has restored health and hope to more than 40,000 children by treating cleft lips and palates, severe burns, microtia, head and neck tumors, and dental conditions. In addition, MMFC donates vitally needed medical supplies, including nutritional supplements, antibiotics, COVID testing kits, surgical instruments, infant formula, and wound care essentials. 

Personal Reflections

The first free flap performed in the National ENT Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam.I participate in four surgical trips each year with HUGS and MMFC, often traveling to areas where local surgical services are limited or nonexistent. Returning to the same sites over the past 18 years, I have built incredible relationships with other volunteers from all over the United States as well as with the local staff, patients, and their families. These trips combine direct surgical interventions with intensive training, such as workshops, lectures, and cadaver labs. 

For example, our recent trip to Vietnam involved training local surgeons to independently manage complex cases, ensuring ongoing benefits for their communities. It is inspiring to see our teams meld seamlessly with the local teams. This past year, we held our second annual microvascular workshop at the National ENT Hospital in Hanoi, with Allen L. Feng, MD, a head and neck surgeon from Massachusetts Eye and Ear, and Joseph Dusseldorp, MBBS, a plastic surgeon from Sydney, Australia, where we performed the first free flap with local surgeons.

Local surgeons at the National ENT Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam, practice carving ear reconstruction models.The privilege of working alongside my residency and fellowship mentor, Dr. Cheney—who built the microvascular program at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Hospital over 30 years ago—and contributing to the establishment of a similar program in Vietnam is truly priceless.

Patient before (left) and after treatment for facial nerve paralysis.Over the past few years, the HUGS Foundation has begun new trips to two cities in Peru, Cusco and Lima. Combined, the cities are home to 33.8 million people but face a significant lack of facial nerve specialists. I encountered many patients living with flaccid facial paralysis for over 20 years who desperately needed help. I collaborated with renowned facial nerve expert Theresa A. Hadlock, MD, to provide care for these patients and train local surgeons, aiming to improve long-term success for our local patients.

The combined efforts of HUGS, MMFC, and the Kletjian Foundation highlight the power of collaboration in transforming global surgical care. From hands-on surgical trips to capacity-building initiatives, every effort supports the ultimate goal of delivering sustainable, high-quality healthcare to patients worldwide.

Our collective goal is a future where every person has access to essential surgical care and the education and resources to maintain that care locally. Through continued collaboration and dedication, we are making meaningful progress, one smile at a time.