Face 2 Face Healing helps hundreds of patients across the globe
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Faith, fortitude, and patience have helped Karen Scuilli put the pieces of her life back together.
In 2011, severe pain in her jaw led to the diagnosis of an aggressive stage four cancer. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation followed.
But doctors weren't able to give her the full facial reconstruction she was hoping for.
"I carefully orchestrated that puzzle," Scuilli said. "I was a single mom. I was going to school. I had it all together, and this happened and all those pieces just fell."
Instead of living in despair, she decided to create a non-profit organization that helps other people with disfigurement and cancer. It's called Face 2 Face Healing, and it's helped hundreds of patients across the globe.
"The reason I'm doing this, not for any other reason but to create awareness for other people so they don't have to go through the things I had to go through and endure," Scuilli said.
And while she was gathering information to help some of the patients, she learned that she was a candidate for a new facial reconstruction procedure. Scuilli can't release the details of the upcoming surgery because it's part of a production that may be televised.