When the wealthy couple saw their newborn’s face, the mother gasped, “Take him away, he’s a monster.” They abandoned him at the hospital. A kind nurse raised him. Twenty years later, the couple desperately needed a rare surgery. The world-famous surgeon walked in, revealed his birthmark, and…

of the industrial district. With donated surgical equipment, mismatched waiting-room chairs, and an exhaustion-fueled determination, I established The Thorne Center for Pediatric Reconstructive Care.

It was a strictly non-profit foundation. We operated exclusively on children whose families lacked the financial liquidity to access top-tier surgical continue reading …