Hope for Tomorrow Foundation offering a second chance
by MATT CHANDLER Reporter

What began as a meeting with Pope John Paul II 17 years ago led to a foundation that has brought hope and new life to thousands of children in impoverished nations across the world.

The Hope For Tomorrow Foundation, under the auspices of plastic surgeon Dr. Jeffery Meilman, of Buffalo Plastic Surgery in Williamsville, has been going abroad annually to offer free medical procedures, as well as donate medical equipment.

For most of these Third World nations, a lack of private insurance or government programs gives suffering children no hope of a normal future--without the outside help offered by groups such as Hope For Tomorrow.

Meilman and his team recently returned from Juliaca, Peru, part of their annual medical mission to offer surgeries and medical procedures to children with various conditions, such as cleft palate and lip, severe burns, disfigured hands and other problems requiring plastic surgery.

"We have been going abroad once or twice a year," Meilman said.

In addition to Peru, those trips have taken the team to such countries as Albania, Poland, India, Nigeria, Nepal and Tanzania.

"I have requests on my desk right now from probably 100 different countries requesting a trip," Meilman said.

While on these trips, he said the team typically performs between 10 and 30 procedures. Meilman said the group also tries to bring one or two children with more serious conditions back to Buffalo for treatment.

Meilman said the group serves both abroad and in the United States, although there is a lesser need for their services in this country.

"In the U.S., we typically have private insurance, and for those who don't, there is Medicaid or Medicare. So most of these things are covered," he said.

According to Meilman, about 25 percent of the procedures he performs involve cleft lip or palate repairs, a disorder that strikes about one in 1,000 live births worldwide.

Meilman said while it would be unheard of in this country to see a 12-year-old riding a bus with a cleft lip or palate, it is much more common in the countries he visits due to the lack of insurance or medical care available.

"The kids we are talking about (in impoverished countries) can get no services - ever," he said.

On his latest trip to Peru, Meilman performed 12 cleft palate and lip surgeries and donated $15,000 in plastic surgery equipment.

In addition to Meilman's work, Amherst residents Alex and Ursula Campanella, owners of Campanella Orthotics and Prosthetics in Buffalo, donated $15,000 in orthotics and prosthetics equipment. Among the items they donated were neck, knee and back braces, as well as prosthetic devices and artificial limbs.

For Alex Campanella, who has been involved with the Hope For Tomorrow Foundation for the past five years, it is about a chance to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged children.

"I've always had a soft spot in my heart for young children, and I do what I can to make a difference," he said.

Campanella, who spent 27 years working at Children's Hospital in Buffalo, talked about the recent trip to Peru.

"The hospital in Peru is in very poor condition. Here (in the United States) it would probably get bulldozed. Dr. Meilman worked under very severe conditions compared to what he is used to."

In addition to the materials he donates from his business, Campanella solicits materials and equipment from other area businesses, who, he said, "are gracious enough to help."

Members from the Hope For Tomorrow Foundation continue to meet annually with Pope Benedict XVI building on the success of the initial meeting and continuing to bring their much needed medical services and equipment to children across the globe.