Resurge Stories
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Donations from people like you make these life-changing stories possible. Without your generosity, thousands of individuals with surgically treatable conditions will go without much-needed care. Learn how you can help write positive stories for people worldwide by visiting our donations page today.
INDIA
When Dr. Vinita Puri was asked to travel to Dehradun, India to perform free reconstructive surgeries...
UNITED STATES
ReSurge International and SkinCeuticals are proud to announce our third cohort of women reconstructive...
UGANDA
At ReSurge, we transform lives in low-income countries by training, funding, and empowering local reconstructive...
INDIA
At ReSurge, we know that one of most effective way to transform lives in low-income countries is through...
NEPAL
Young Sushan from Nepal was only 18-months-old when the unthinkable happened. He was walking with his...
UNITED STATES
We are proud to present our 2022 Annual Report! At ReSurge, we envision a world where no person has...
TANZANIA
It is a warm October afternoon in Itigi, a small village in central Tanzania. The round and full sun...
UNITED STATES
Helene is a recent ReSurge International donor from Durham, North Carolina. She is a retired English...
UNITED STATES
ReSurge is thrilled to introduce you to our new President and CEO, Claire Lachance. Claire is a transformative...
INDIA
Dr. Vinita Puri is a true humanitarian. She is a professor and the head of the plastic and reconstructive...
UNITED STATES
ReSurge International was one of the first organizations of our kind to swiftly transition into virtual...
NEPAL
Pitam Kuwar is a bolt of energy. His strong laugh, big heart, respectful nature, and ear-to-ear smile...
BOLIVIA
In the rural Bolivian village of Villamontes, women experiencing birthing complications have few resources. For...
UGANDA
Transforming the practice of reconstructive surgery in Sub-Saharan Africa is no small feat. For every...
UNITED STATES
The Donald R. Laub Fellowship program, named after our founder Don Laub, allows for a fourth-year...
NEPAL
At ReSurge, we want our patients to thrive post-surgery. We have a holistic approach to surgical care...
PERU
Dr. Jorge de la Cruz has been a Surgical Outreach Partner and a valued member of the ReSurge family for...
ZAMBIA
For the past 23 years, ReSurge has had the honor of working with Dr. Goran Jovic, one of the only reconstructive...
NEPAL
When a child in a remote rural village is born with a surgically treatable condition, there are a lot...
UNITED STATES
It takes a special kind of bravery to reflect on one’s own community—with love and critique—and to then...
NEPAL
When you meet 8-year-old Evani, you can’t help but catch her infectious and bubbly smile. This bright...
NEPAL
“I keep asking my brother for soccer cleats because I love playing, but he tells me, ‘no’ because he...
MOZAMBIQUE
Dr. Pedro Santos grew up in Mozambique during a time of civil war. His father, a doctor, would come home...
UNITED STATES
The 2022 ReSurge Transformations Gala: A Global Festival was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who...
UNITED STATES
Sometimes the most meaningful things in life happen by chance. Dr. Paige Fox is a Professor in the Division...
TANZANIA
Dr. Seif Nuru is a general surgeon from Tanzania, studying in Uganda, and ReSurge’s first Annual Reconstructive...
UNITED STATES
When Dr. Dung Nguyen was growing up in Vietnam, she was very aware of the importance of access to healthcare....
UNITED STATES
We’re excited to announce that ReSurge International has been selected as the latest organization to...
UNITED STATES
“My time with ReSurge was the best year of my academic and professional life and it has shaped me as...
UNITED STATES
Black History Month honors the incredible contributions that Black communities have made throughout American...
UNITED STATES
Dr. Jeff Friedrich is a ReSurge medical volunteer and Professor of Surgery, Orthopedics, and Urology...
ZIMBABWE
What is the difference between the curriculum accessible to residents at Stanford Medicine’s Division...
NEPAL
Sujana is a six-year-old who lives in the outskirts of the Katmandu Valley in Nepal with her parents...
TANZANIA
Meet Jackson. This exuberant boy took a ten-hour bus ride with his mother to our clinic in Tanzania....
UGANDA
Philp is a bright-eyed toddler who loves playtime with his siblings. Philp was born in Uganda, a country...
ZIMBABWE
Over the past year, ReSurge was not able to facilitate international travel or in-person training due...
UNITED STATES
With sadness, we mourn the loss of Dr. Dave Dingman, ReSurge’s first Consulting Medical Officer, who...
ZAMBIA
With heavy hearts, we share some tragic news of a painful loss in our ReSurge International family. Our...
KENYA
Getting Back in the Saddle Like the rest of the world, ReSurge had to halt all travel and in-person...
UNITED STATES
With heavy hearts, we mourn the loss of ReSurge board member and dear friend, Tyson Clark, who passed...
UNITED STATES
On November 10th, 2021, we proudly hosted our first annual ReSurge Honors event at Sharon Heights Golf...
UNITED STATES
We Are Proud to Present Our 2021 Annual Report! We are thrilled to share our 2021 ReSurge International...
NEPAL
ReSurge’s patients and their families are brave. They are strong. They are fighters. Some take a bus...
UGANDA
ReSurge International was one of the first organizations of our kind to swiftly transition into virtual...
UNITED STATES
ReSurge International is proud to partner with Ohana One International Surgical Aid, a global surgical...
ZIMBABWE
The COVID-19 pandemic hit the global surgery sector hard. All international travel was canceled and elective...
INDIA
For over six years, Dr. Bharatendu Swain has been a ReSurge International Surgical Outreach Partner....
UNITED STATES
ReSurge International is an international global health organization driven to address surgical inequities...
NEPAL
“Other than the face, our hands are the most communicative part of our body when connecting to the outside...
UNITED STATES
At ReSurge International, our reconstructive surgical care and training transforms the lives of thousands...
UNITED STATES
The Donald R. Laub Fellowship program, named after our founder Don Laub, allows for a fourth-year...
UNITED STATES
It’s a sunny day at the Canyon Inn, a classic family diner decked in1970s sports memorabilia in Redwood...
UNITED STATES
Empowered women empower women. Since we launched the Pioneering Women in Reconstructive Surgery...
UNITED STATES
“The pandemic plus the national attention to matters of equity—including access to healthcare—have highlighted...
UNITED STATES
On June 19, 2021 the United States will celebrate Juneteenth National Independence Day, as an official...
ZAMBIA
Dr. Matolase Mtonga always knew she wanted to be a surgeon. But as a medical student in Zambia she found...
UNITED STATES
The year 2020 was unlike any other. We began on a high note, celebrating our 50th anniversary as the...
UNITED STATES
Dear Friends and Colleagues, The current situation and devastation caused by the novel coronavirus...
UNITED STATES
At ReSurge International, we have the honor and privilege to work alongside many talented partners, staff,...
NEPAL
A child born with a cleft lip in Nepal has a tough journey ahead. Difficulty breastfeeding and chronic...
UNITED STATES
In pursuit of finding a non-profit that shared her personal passion of expanding health access to those...
UNITED STATES
A ReSurge Board Member since 2015, Meredith Taylor was recently named Chair of our Board of Directors. ...
UNITED STATES
Thomas Davenport, MD, FACS, board-certified plastic surgeon and partner at Long Island Plastic Surgical...
NEPAL
None of our work would be possible without the steadfast support of you, our donors — together we’re...
UNITED STATES
In 1969, a group of volunteers from the Bay Area’s Latin American Mission Program (LAMP) requested help...
UNITED STATES
Eileen Sheldon, ReSurge Board member, recently did a spectacular job chairing our Transformations...
UNITED STATES
How did you hear about ReSurge and get involved? One of the University of Wisconsin pediatric neurosurgeons...
INDIA
In May, members of ReSurge’s board of directors visited our surgical outreach partner sites in Nepal...
UNITED STATES
We are proud to introduce Chao Long, the newly selected Donald R. Laub Fellow. Named for our ReSurge...
UNITED STATES
Dr. Anna Luan recently completed the Donald R. Laub Fellowship. Named for our ReSurge founder and co-funded...
UNITED STATES
When ReSurge volunteer Sue Fossum first heard about ReSurge, she was working in the PACU at UC Davis,...
VIETNAM
Dr. Hien Thi Nguyen knew the rural poor of her country needed the medical services ReSurge provides....
TANZANIA
ReSurge is pleased to be launching a new initiative to increase access to safe reconstructive surgical...
INDIA
By Tom Seery I spent the first days of 2020 in Dehradun, India as part of a visiting educator trip...
UNITED STATES
When Dr. Mark Singleton was asked to join a surgical mission trip in 1986, he was intrigued by the thought...
BOLIVIA
In May of this year, a medical team of hand surgeons and hand therapists traveled with ReSurge, in partnership...
NEPAL
Last month, we packed our bags and headed to Kathmandu for a week of leadership training for the employees...
UNITED STATES
We are proud to introduce Anna Luan, the newly selected Donald R. Laub Fellow. Named for our ReSurge...
BANGLADESH
Earlier this month, a ReSurge surgical mission trip visited Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, where we treated...
VIETNAM
Ty is a thirty-four-year-old woman with a beautiful smile. We treated her on a recent visit to Phan Rang...
INDIA
Meet Sheetal. At age 12, she was burned in a fire at her home where she lives with her widowed mother...
CUBA
“If you do something good for others, something good will come to you.” This is how Anthony D. explained...
VIETNAM
A well-known expert in pediatric anesthesiology, Dr. George Gregory has volunteered his skills with ReSurge...
VIETNAM
An important part of our mission is to provide reconstructive surgical care for poor children and adults...
NEPAL
Dr. Shankar Man Rai, a world-renowned expert at repairing clefts and burn injuries, has provided more...
NEPAL
Dr. Shrestha is an orthopedic hand surgeon at the Hospital and Rehabilitation center for Disabled Children...
NEPAL
Dr. Shakya is a maxillofacial surgeon at the Nepal Cleft and Burn Center at Kirtipur Hospital in Kathmandu....
ECUADOR
Dr. Escudero is a plastic surgeon at Luis Vernaza Hospital in Guayaquil, Ecuador, the largest nonprofit...
BANGLADESH
Dr Ibrahim is a senior registrar in the plastic surgery department at Birdem General Hospital (Bangladesh...
ZIMBABWE
Dr. Muchemwa is a consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon, at Parirenyatwa Hospital at the...
MOZAMBIQUE
Dr. Issufo is the plastic surgery service director at Mozambique’s Maputo Central Hospital. She treats...
NEPAL
In mid-July, ReSurge sent visiting educators Dr. Gordon Lee and Dr. Matthew Chetta to train local residents...
MOZAMBIQUE
In late August 2016, a visiting educator team made ReSurge’s inaugural visit to Mozambique, as part of...
BHUTAN
ReSurge’s Visiting Educator trips to Bhutan are making an impact after just over a year working in the...
ZAMBIA
A patient story as told by Dr. Goran Jovic. At first, I did not notice anything unusual about him. I...
INDIA
Kanchana is a bright young nurse in Sri Lanka. She graduated eleventh out of 30,000 nursing students...
CUBA
At the beginning of his career, Dr. Bill McClure was on track to become a cardiovascular surgeon–that...
NEPAL
Vijay arises early, before the sun is up, and gently wakes his daughter Priyanka. She looks into his...
ECUADOR
On a trip to Ecuador in 2012, we met five-year-old Luis Fernando. Two years prior, he had been terribly...
INDIA
In early 2013, ReSurge sent a team trip to Dehradun, India, where we have a Surgical Outreach Program...
INDIA
Hasan is a daughter, a sister, a mother and at the moment, our patient. Hasan’s smile is a clear window...
ZAMBIA
When Dr. Goran Jovic was presented the case of a teenager attacked by a hyena, he turned to ReSurge Grand...
NEPAL
Rinchin, 13, wants to be a movie star. He is one of the patients we met recently when students from Stanford...
VIETNAM
Five-year-old Huynh was born in a small village in Vietnam with a condition known as congenital hairy...
VIETNAM
Four-year-old Nguyen was born with three of his fingers fused on each hand, a congenital birth defect...
NICARAGUA
The year was 1987, and Marlon and Violeta in Nicaragua were like any other parents of a new baby girl—concerned...
MEXICO
In the 1960s, Antonio, a 13-year-old boy from Mexicali, Mexico, was being raised by his grandmother,...
VIETNAM
Sixteen-month-old My and her mother, Hat, live in Quy Nhon, on Vietnam’s eastern coast. When Hat was...
BANGLADESH
Tonmoy was living the life of a typical 6-year-old boy—climbing trees and running around. One day, while...
MALI
As the director of international services at ReSurge International, Amy Laden is often contacted by individuals...
BOLIVIA
Magali’s original accident took place when she was two years old. Her mother was preparing caramelo (cooked...
MALI
In Mali, there is only one physician for every 12,800 people—and no reconstructive plastic surgeons....
VIETNAM
Hoa, a young mother, knew intimately the stigma of a cleft lip as she had been born with one herself....
BOLIVIA
Joseph is a 7-year-old boy from El Alto, Bolivia. He was born with syndactyly, a condition in which his...
ZAMBIA
When baby Christine was born in central Zambia, her mother immediately noticed that something was wrong....
BOLIVIA
When you meet Jonathan, you quickly realize he has more cares than a typical 6-year-old should. He has...
NEPAL
Sirisu is a charming 4-year-old from Nepal who accidentally scalded his arm while making hot food for...
NICARAGUA
During a clinic in Nicaragua last March, we met 2-month-old Dara. Dara, like so many other children,...
NEPAL
Astha, a baby girl in Nepal, fell from her mother’s lap into a fire during a traditional ceremony when...
ZAMBIA
Determined to do the best they could for their babies, mothers Bella and Mwanga banded together for a...
MALI
Awa, an 11-year-old girl, was shaking down fruit from a tree with a metal pole when her pole hit a live...
BANGLADESH
Alam lives in an apartment building in Dhaka, one of the most densely populated cities in the world....
ECUADOR
Jacqueline’s 28-year-old daughter, Andrea, is her pride and joy. When Andrea was born with a bilateral...
INDIA
I’ve been looking forward to returning to Dehradun because I would finally get the opportunity to revisit...
VIETNAM
On a surgical team trip to Quy Nhon, Vietnam, we met Tam, a man who has been waiting 58 years to have...
ZAMBIA
Mateo was one of nearly 17,000 people who receive a severe burn every year in Zambia, a country with...
VIETNAM
Y Dim, now 2 years old, was born in the rural mountains of Vietnam with a cleft lip. After she was born,...
NEPAL
Outside Bharatapur, a southern crossroads town where Nepal’s east and west meet on the nation’s main...
VIETNAM
The ReSurge team fell in love with 3-month-old Thi Ngol Quyen during a trip to Vietnam in April 2013....
VIETNAM
Like more than 2 billion people worldwide, Quynh’s family in Vietnam does their cooking over open fires....
NEPAL
Kalus is an 8-year-old boy from a small village between Pokhara and Kathmandu in Nepal, who could not...
ZAMBIA
Five-year-old Jacob is bright, outgoing and likes to play football. But life for Jacob hasn’t been carefree. His...
NEPAL
Ganesh is 14 years old. Despite living in a small rural village of Nepal, he dreams of becoming a doctor....
TANZANIA
Jonas is one brave little 5 year old. He lives with his family under a giant baobob tree on the plains...
ZAMBIA
When Favour was 3 years old, he was at home alone with his 12-year-old cousin who was looking after him....