Ukrainian soldiers to receive custom 3-D printed facial implants from Dallas non-profit

NORTH TEXAS – The war in Ukraine has been ongoing for two and a half years, severely injuring many soldiers. A non-profit organization and a 3-D surgical implant company are collaborating to help restore the faces of soldiers in Kyiv.

It may look like an average building in Dallas, but what's being done inside is far from ordinary. It's a mission taking a team halfway around the world.

The devastation of war is all too real for Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines defending their country.

"These patients have sustained war injuries, so the extent of damage to their faces can be substantial," Dr. Jorge Corona said.

Dr. Corona is an oculoplastic surgeon with LEAP Global Missions and is teaming up with MedCAD, both based in Dallas.

"What you see here are the patients from Ukraine. You can see in blue this is where his cheekbone is broken in several pieces," said Nancy Hairston, president and CEO of MedCAD.

The CT scans are sent from doctors in Ukraine. The MedCAD team holds Zoom meetings with doctors in Ukraine and then works their magic by turning the scans into 3-D printed custom facial implants.

"This is what a 3-D print looks like when it's finished. It's encased in a material that's kind of soapy, and that is supporting the model, the hard plastic," Hairston said.

"They do 3-D printing of titanium plates, and they're perfectly fitted to cover the area of the defect," Corona said.

Dr. Corona and two other doctors will travel to Kyiv next week to transform the lives of three Ukrainian soldiers with jaw and eye socket implants.

"I think a little bit of what we do with the surgery is restoring their humanity because our face is how we express ourselves to the world," Corona said.

"This technology is here in Dallas changing people's lives, and it's a lot to be proud of that we have this here in Texas," Hairston said.

It's local technology and a 3-D printer making an impact across the globe.

The team plans on helping an additional three to four Ukrainian soldiers next spring.