Ieva Linkutė

Age:

31 m.

City:

Vilnius

Diagnosis:

Hypoplasia of the right side of the face

Required amount of support:

12000 Eur

Amount of support already collected:

10536 Eur

Support balance:

10536

Renewed! 02/25/2021

The patient has braces on the second dental arch. Accumulated amount used: EUR 590.00.

Renewed! 12.01.2021

The patient has braces on one dental arch. Accumulated amount used: EUR 590.00.

Renewed! 03/28/2019

in 2019 March. on the 28th Ieva underwent correction of the deformities of her nose and face. Accumulated amount used: EUR 350.00.

I am Ieva Linkutė, I am 27 years old. I was born with hypoplasia of the right side of the face. I have many facial defects: an underdeveloped right jaw, an ear, I can see very poorly in my right eye, it squints, I have an irregular bite, crooked teeth, a very small chin, a large, humped nose. I have received many different descriptions of my appearance or just waves of laughter as I pass. Some people who have been bullied say that they "grow a thick skin" and simply don't pay attention to the taunts anymore. I've never been able to do that - I'm still very sensitive to people's comments about how I look.

Although my face has many defects, since I was a child, my uneven face has caused me the most pain. My family is poor. When I was a teenager, we didn't have the opportunity to go to plastic surgeons, so my mother and I went to a free clinic in Vilnius. The doctors planned to apply various methods of correction of the contours of the jaw, but in the end it was chosen to shape the jaw by transplanting a rib. The first operation was done in 2006, but I still don't have a straight face. The first operation was successful, the rib healed. During the next two operations, the contour of the ear was formed using rib cartilage and skin grafting. Although there is no aesthetic image, I can already wear glasses, which are necessary for me. in 2009 the rib graft was repeated again to achieve a straighter face, but the rib did not heal and had to be removed a month after the surgery.

After 2009, until 2017, I did not undergo any facial correction surgery, because the previous surgeries did not only benefit, but also caused a lot of harm. All the incisions were made on the outside, so I have distinct, hard scars on the right side of my face. During the operations, the nerve was damaged - now the lower lip on the right does not move. This is especially visible when speaking, and the smile is "crooked". I can speak very limitedly, I speak indistinctly. Having decided to have the operation, I firmly believed that the doctors would help me and do their best. Unfortunately, after the last unsuccessful operation, something "broke" as if - I lost trust in doctors, huge disappointment in people and myself flooded in. I lost hope of keeping a straight face.

After a few years, however, I decided that I can't live like this and I have to make a choice - either I start taking care of my face, or I give up. I started looking for doctors who could help me. I turned to plastic surgeons working in private clinics. After a long search, I met a doctor who restored my hope that my appearance could improve. in 2017 I underwent reconstruction of the jaw branch with a medpore implant, the operation was successful, the shape of my face became straighter. The incision was made inside, so I didn't have to "dress up" another scar. Half a year later, the plastic surgeon performed a procedure on me to contour my face by transplanting fat tissue to the right side of my face. After the surgery, a clear positive change was visible, but due to the aforementioned hard scars, not all the fat healed. So, the operation must be repeated.

After so many years and failures, I am very happy to have found a responsible doctor whose operations give positive results. I trust him and feel that after a few operations I could achieve the result I dreamed of for so many years. Unfortunately, these operations are beyond my financial reach. As much as I could, I saved myself, but such an amount is very large for me - it would take many years to save, and I have to live now. The ability to work successfully depends on the state of health and, unfortunately, the appearance. Therefore, no matter how difficult it is to tell my story and seek help, encouraged by the doctor, I decided. Maybe after a long period of life full of disappointments and pain, thanks to your help, the one I was waiting for will come - I will be able to look in the mirror with a smile and start a new phase of my life. Thank you all in advance.