(WSVN) – A South Florida surgeon is stepping up in the operating room and online. The doctor is raising money to pay for his patient’s experimental treatment. Heather Walker has the story in this 7Spotlight.
At 16 years old, Lauren Licea had her whole life ahead of her. But in an instant, everything changed.
Stefanie Celis, Lauren’s mom: “We didn’t even know if she was gonna make it at some point.”
Lauren was the passenger in this car when it crashed in 2018. Her injuries were life-altering.
Lauren is now blind in one eye, paralyzed from the chest down, and has a breathing tube, but she is focused on the future.
Lauren Licea: “I’m very strong. I don’t get down easily.”
Through it all, two important people have been by her side: Her surgeon, Dr. Arthur Desrosiers…
Lauren Licea: “He cares, and I appreciate him.”
…and her mom, Stefanie, a Miami-Dade public school teacher.
Lauren Licea: “I don’t know what I would do without my mom.”
Stefanie Celis: “You know, she lives in pain. That doesn’t go away with anything. I would do anything to take it away from her.”
Now, Dr. Desrosiers is going above and beyond to help Lauren have a better quality of life.
Dr. Arthur Desrosiers, Lauren’s surgeon: “She’s a very special young girl, and I think I feel empathetic for her situation.”
He specializes in facial reconstruction. This is a 3-D model of Lauren’s skull.
Dr. Arthur Desrosiers: “She broke more bones in her face of any patient that I’ve ever seen survive.”
But the big problem is Lauren developed bacterial infections in her face — that cannot be treated with regular drugs. It requires monthly surgeries, but the infections keep coming back.
Lauren Licea: “It’s been almost seven years that I’ve been fighting these infections.”
Dr. Desrosiers found an experimental treatment to try to eliminate the infections once and for all. But it’s expensive and not covered by insurance. So he stepped up to help the family raise money to pay for it.
Dr. Arthur Desrosiers: “I started the foundation, The Miami Foundation For Science and Medicine, specifically to raise money for underinsured or non-insured children and indigent people that needed to get healthcare and couldn’t access it.”
The GoFundMe he organized for Lauren has raised more than $13,000 of the $40,000 needed to start her treatment.
Lauren Licea: “Without the money, unfortunately, I can’t get this medicine.”
The experimental medicine Lauren is trying to get is called phage therapy. Phages are viruses used to target and destroy antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Dr. Arthur Desrosiers: “What we’re going to do is then take that money that we raised through the GoFundMe and use it to purchase that cocktail of phages for Lauren for her surgery here in Miami. I’m very optimistic.”
Stefanie Celis: “He’s always available for us. I haven’t gotten that from any other doctor, and we see many doctors. I appreciate him more than words can say.”
Her doctor’s actions keep Lauren hopeful.
Lauren Licea: “I do want to go to college and be independent. I want to go out more without having people stare.”
If it works, the doctor says the left side of Lauren’s face will be successfully reconstructed. While she will never be the same, it has given her a new perspective on gratitude.
Lauren Licea: “Always be yourself and love yourself the way you are, because you never know what could happen.”
A powerful reminder from a resilient 23-year-old.
Heather Walker, 7News
If you would like to contribute to Lauren’s fundraiser, click here.
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