Kijabe: Exhausting and Inspirational

cynthia gregg , md , facs
Father, mother,
and child share joy.
Dr. Gregg
falls in love
with each of
these young
surgical
patients.
Kijabe:
Exhausting and
Inspirational
D
r. Cynthia Gregg, a pre-eminent facial plastic
surgeon in Cary, and her husband, Dr. Joe
Cornett, a radiologist, have returned from their
life-altering sixth trip to Kijabe, in Kenya.
Notes Dr. Gregg, “In our two-week visit, we saw
a record-number of 174 patients and performed 83
cleft lip/palate surgeries in a small Christian hospital,
under the auspices of World Medical Mission. My
husband spent most of his time working in the hospital’s small radiology department. Our sons Joseph and
Gregg often accompany us on these mission trips, but
they both had other commitments this summer.”
She notes, “In the U.S., cleft lip-palate cases are
most often completed in the first year of life. In Kenya,
I’ve operated on patients up to age 55. Sometimes,
children with cleft lip-palate are abandoned to orphanages because the condition is considered to be a curse
on the family. And we’re glad to be involved in changing the culture, one patient at a time.” h&h
True joy
of mother
and child.
Baby Benson, pre-operatively.
Baby Benson, following surgery.
Beginning
a new life.
h e a l t h & h e a l i n g • V o l u m e 19
Number 2
18 of the volunteers who came together in Kijabe, Kenya, to help many patients with surgical intervention
of cleft lip-palate cases. Dr. Gregg is in the first row, third from right. Her husband, Dr Joe Cornett, is directly
behind her.
Dr. Cornett offers permanent hospital staff training in emerging radiological technologies.
Originally published in Health & Healing in the Triangle, Vol. 19, No. 2, Health & Healing, Inc., Chapel Hill, NC, publishers. Reprinted with permission.
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