An Aberdeenshire woman has praised the surgeon who rebuilt her face – and her life.
Alana Brownie, from Sauchen, is one of only a handful of people in the country who grew up with idiopathic condylar resorption.
The condition stops the lower jaw from growing and maturing, which can cause issues with eating, sleeping and even breathing.
The 39-year-old’s issues started when she fell off her bike at the age of 10 and damaged her growing plate.
As she grew older, Alana was in constant pain and unable to sleep properly, but the biggest impact was on her confidence.
“It was awful growing up,” she said. “I didn’t know what I was meant to look like. Who I was meant to be.”
“It affected my self-esteem, and it took its toll on my relationships.
“When you’ve gone through decades of not knowing what you’re meant to look like, when you can’t breathe at night and you’re struggling physically a lot.
“When you’re constantly hiding behind long hair, avoiding mirrors and standing at the back for photos.
“It takes a toll.”
Sauchen mum praises surgeon after 13-hour jaw surgery
Alana waited for an operation throughout most of her teenage years and finally underwent her first surgery at age 19.
However, it was not until her latest surgery, 20 years later, that Alana finally felt like herself again.
“After 25 years of not knowing who I was meant to be, I can now look in the mirror and I’m beginning to get used to the person looking back at me,” the mum-of-three said.
In February, Alana underwent a 13-hour operation performed by Mr Moorthy Halsnad, a consultant maxillofacial and craniofacial surgeon at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
He is the only surgeon in Scotland capable of the complex combined surgery required to give a patient like Alana the face she should have had.
“Moorthy and his surgical team had the courage to see the potential in me,” she said.
“Using his skills and knowledge, he stripped me back and built me up again from scratch.
“How can I ever repay him for that?”
The surgeon said: “In Alana’s case, we needed to fit double artificial jaw joints.
“That’s the foundation on which rest of her upper and lower jaw bones rest.
“Because of previous operations it was a long and difficult surgery to remove all the metal fixtures that were mostly buried inside her facial bones.
“Once that was complete we carried out her double jaw repositions, then finally we revised her chin bone position, giving her a more normal adult profile.”
‘I truly thank him from the bottom of my heart’
Alana recovered well in hospital and was discharged 36 hours after her operation.
Now, eight weeks on from the surgery, she feels hopeful about the future.
“Don’t get me wrong – this has been one hell of a rollercoaster,” she said.
“I always thought of myself as a tough cookie, and with my previous surgeries I thought I knew what I was in for. B
“ut this has been extremely hard – physically and mentally.
“The pain has gone now and, while I’m still having some issues, I’m feeling more like myself.
“I’m still on a soft food diet, and I’ve been dreaming of a big juicy steak or a burger, but there are no words I can physically say or write to thank Moorthy and his team for fixing me.
“It is something I can never repay him for and I truly thank him from the bottom of my heart.”
Alana’s mum, Patty Brownie, said she has known since she was young what her daughter should really look like.
She added: “After every surgery I’ve built my hopes up, but watching Alana struggling, desperate just to find out who she is, has been heart-breaking.
“I’d hoped she wouldn’t go through with this surgery, just to spare her more pain, but she’s a determined young woman and I’m so proud of her for never giving up.
“If Moorthy has achieved what others haven’t managed to, we will forever be in his debt.”
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