Tony Holmes addresses Carey students
27 Jul 2010
Earlier this month, Middle School students were addressed by renowned craniofacial plastic surgeon Tony Holmes, Head of Cleft and Craniofacial Surgery at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne.
Tony, father of Year 11 student Bella, spoke to students about the complex and ground-breaking process of separating conjoined twins, Trishna and Krishna. The story of how the twins were separated is extraordinary and the results speak for themselves; Trishna and Krishna are the first craniophagic conjoined twins to be separated without any neurological damage.
In addition to explaining the complex nature of this life-saving process – which consisted of many years of surgery and procedures to prepare the twins for separation - Tony gave students a fascinating insight into the array of innovative techniques the medical team used such as 3D modeling adapted from the car design industry and tissue expansion balloons that were progressively inflated under the girls’ scalps.
Above all, Tony’s dedication to improving the lives of children born with craniofacial deformities and his sense of humility were incredibly moving. He spoke of his epiphany while studying surgery at Harvard University – realising that he had the opportunity to make the lives of underprivileged children with craniofacial deformities not just better, but normal. It is clear what a significant difference his surgical expertise makes to the lives of children who would otherwise suffer enormously, but clearer how inspiring one man following his passion can be.
Back