Surgical Success after Tim's Tragedy

Beyond the hype about which celebrities have had breast implants or whether an aging star is getting a face lift, many people forget the life-saving and life-improving reconstructive surgery work that plastic surgeons perform every day. One person who will never forget the power of a plastic surgeon to shape lives as well as looks is Tim, a former sailor in the Navy who nearly died in an unfortunate incident while on shore leave in San Diego.

A Terrible Night

Tim was out at a bar with some friends in May 2002 when one of his buddies got into a fight. The fight was broken up quickly and Tim thought there was nothing more to worry about. Soon afterward, he left the bar to make a call from the nearest pay phone, which happened to be on the second floor of an adjacent strip mall.

While waiting to use the phone, one of the men involved in the bar fight came up behind Tim and flipped him over the second-story ledge. In an instant, Tim fell 15 feet, hitting his face on a retaining wall before falling another 5 feet. Needless to say, Tim was in bad shape, and after that, he says, "I lost track of the next few days."

Tim, shown before and after reconstructive surgery for broken eye sockets and a shattered nose.

Emergency Plastic Surgery in San Diego

Tim was rushed to Scripps Memorial Hospital where he received life support and was given numerous diagnostic tests. Fortunately, Tim did not permanently damage his spinal cord, brain, or any other vital organs, but the impact with the retaining wall left extensive damage from his upper lip to his forehead.

To stabilize his facial structures and start the process of repairing his broken eye sockets and shattered nose, Tim underwent a first plastic procedure shortly after the incident. Two days later, he had a day-long San Diego plastic surgery session, and that's where he first met Dr. Chaffoo. Tim says, "I owe Dr. Chaffoo so much. That extensive surgery laid the groundwork for helping me put this whole incident behind me."

As part of the repair work, Dr. Chaffoo implanted a titanium bridge to reconstruct Tim's nose, and he made a coronal incision across the top of the head from ear to ear. To help keep the facial structures in place, Tim's jaw was wired shut, and remained that way for 2 months. "It was a heck of a weight loss plan," says Tim. "I was a pretty skinny guy to begin with, and I still lost 40 pounds."

Moving On, Moving Up

Tim gradually recovered over the coming weeks and stopped back in for a follow-up with Dr. Chaffoo about 2 months after the incident. After recovery, his assignments with the Navy continued to take him far and wide, and he lost touch with Dr. Chaffoo. Recently, when digging through the mountain of medical paperwork he had accrued, Tim realized that, "I never properly thanked Dr. Chaffoo for the excellent work he did repairing the damage." So he got in touch through Dr. Chaffoo's Web site to share how happy he is with how his face looks today.

And just how good are his post-surgical results? Tim says, "Except for myself and my mom, who is a doctor, I don't think anyone who knows me is able to see a difference. I think that's amazing. When I first met my girlfriend about 6 months ago, she had no idea that I had any type of facial surgery. The only thing that gave me away is the light scar across the top of my head, and that's only noticeable because my hairline has begun to recede."

"My quality results are a testament to Dr. Chaffoo's training and experience," adds Tim. "And I can't even begin to say how much Dr. Chaffoo has helped improve my quality of life. Though I left the Navy a few years back, I'm enjoying my life and I think often about how fortunate I was to benefit from Dr. Chaffoo's care."