Surgery Weekend

Surgery Weekends provide a fresh start to disadvantaged infants, children, and teens suffering from physical deformities. Fresh Start hosts six to seven Surgery Weekends each year where experts in reconstructive surgery donate their time and talents to transform the lives of over 400 children with deformities annually - last year, Fresh Start's Surgery Weekend Program provided 1,473 medical treatments to 397 patients.

Fresh Start’s one-of-a-kind comprehensive and holistic healthcare program includes reconstructive surgeries, Laser Clinics, a Speech Therapy Clinic, and Dental Clinics – all of our complementary medical treatments are provided to patients during the interim between Surgery Weekends, on the Sunday of a Surgery Weekend, or during a scheduled Dental Clinic. To learn more about our complementary services, view the Dental Clinic or Support Services page.

Medical treatments are provided at the Fresh Start Clinic at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego by an all-volunteer team of surgeons and medical professionals. Some of the conditions treated include: Microtia, Hemangioma, Neurofibromatosis, Hairy Nevus, Cleft lip and Cleft palate, Treacher Collins Syndrome, Portwine stains, and Hemifacial Microsomia. A typical Surgery Weekend includes:

13-18 Major Surgeries
Speech Therapy Sessions
Consultations with new patients
Numerous Minor Treatments
Evaluations of on-going patients
Postoperative Appointments

Fresh Start patients often require extensive follow up and years of surgeries and medical services until the best medical outcome has been reached. Fresh Start maintains long-term medical relationships with patients and follow-up surgeries – our average cleft lip and palate patient, for example, requires seven years of dental care and approximately 49 treatments until the best possible medical outcome has been reached.