Toddler Smiles And Dances After Surgery To Correct Rare Facial Deformity [Video]
Two-year-old Violet Pietrok was born with a rare defect of the skull called frontonasal dysplasia. It’s so rare that only 100 cases have ever been reported. The condition causes the face and head to be malformed while in the womb. The disorder caused Violet’s facial features to be widened, including her nose, which had no cartilage, and the space between her eyes. Her eyes were so far apart, her vision was likened to that of a bird. She also had a large central cleft in her face, called Tessier Cleft, as well as a growth over her left eye, according to the Daily Mail.
Post-surgery, Violet is now the happy toddler that she was destined to be, constantly smiling, laughing, and dancing. Her mother, Alicia Taylor, said the following, according to Good Morning America.
“She’s fantastic. She’s taking it all in stride. She’s so happy…all the time. If she’s not smiling, she’s generally asleep or throwing a fit.”
In October, Violet, who is from Portland, Oregon, underwent surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital to correct deformities, aided by 3D printing of her skull. A plastic surgeon and neurosurgeon helped to reshape her face. Five 3D models of her skull that represented from the time of her first birthday until her operation helped the surgeons determine how Violet grew and developed, and it helped them practice the incisions and cuts even before entering the operating room. They had to be especially careful not to interfere with brain function. The 3D models helped for the most part avoid complications in surgery. A link to a video about her surgery can be found here.
There was a complication which necessitated further surgery. And Violet spent six weeks in the hospital for her scar to heal, and her stitches were removed the end of February. But this spunky, can-do toddler apparently took everything in stride, including adjusting to her new visual field. All that bothered her about her numerous stitches was that she wasn’t allowed to wear ribbons in her hair during healing time.
Even though Taylor misses the old Violet she had grown to love, she realizes that this is better in the long-run for her daughter, stating, according to the Daily Mail.
“This will make a huge impact with her quality of life and the way people perceive her.”
But Taylor hoped that telling Violet’s story would make people more accepting of how they react to her. She told ABC Channel 7 the following.
“If you see someone staring at you and (they) turn and walk off, it makes you feel different and it will make her feel shunned. It would be far better if they introduce themselves and say, ‘Hi, I’m so-and-so, I wondered if you can explain to (my kids) what happened.'”
There is even a GoFundMe page that was set up to raise money for Violet’s bills. The link is here.
Another young person in the news also recently got plastic surgery for a different reason than Violet’s. Allison Kramer was relentlessly bullied at school, with other students making fun of her nose, according to an Inquisitr article. Her family dipped into savings and even sold jewelry so that she could have the plasic surgery she desired. She just wanted to feel more confident.
Do you believe in plastic surgery for cosmetic purposes or only when medically necessary?
[Photos Courtesy Facebook, Video Courtesy YouTube]
