Meet the Team Behind: Fresh Start Surgical Gifts

Fresh Start Surgical Gifts provides medical care to children with physical differences caused by birth defects, accidents, abuse, or disease. Through volunteer medical professionals and partner hospitals across the country, they give children access to the specialized care they need. Learn more about their work here!

Can you tell me about the need for your work?

For families without adequate insurance or financial resources, specialized reconstructive surgery can be out of reach. Children may be living with conditions like cleft lip and palate, burns, scars, facial differences, or injuries caused by accidents or abuse that require extensive medical treatment. We believe a family’s ability to pay should never determine whether a child receives the care they need. Fresh Start provides children with reconstructive surgery and related services at absolutely no cost.

What does your medical care entail?

Our care goes far beyond a single procedure. During Surgery Weekends, volunteer surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and other medical professionals donate their time and expertise to provide reconstructive procedures and treatments. We also offer dental and orthodontic care, speech therapy, laser treatments, consultations, and follow-up services. Many of our patients require multiple procedures over several years, and once we accept a child into our program, we remain committed to their care until the best possible medical outcome is achieved.

What are Surgery Weekends?

Surgery Weekends bring together teams of volunteer medical professionals to provide children with specialized care at our partner medical centers. A typical weekend can include 9 to 12 major surgeries in addition to consultations, speech therapy, and numerous smaller treatments. Our programs currently operate with leading healthcare partners in California, Illinois, Texas, and Massachusetts. By donating their time and expertise, our medical volunteers make it possible for children to receive care that could otherwise cost families hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Can you tell me about your impact?

Fresh Start has been transforming children’s lives since 1991. Over the years, thousands of children have received tens of thousands of surgeries and related treatments through our programs. We’ve worked with hundreds of medical professionals who volunteer their skills at Surgery Weekends, Dental Clinics, and other programs. Reconstructive care can help a child eat, speak, breathe, move more comfortably, and feel more confident as they grow, and we’re committed to supporting each patient for as long as their individual treatment journey requires.