Dr. Niamtu Celebrates 30 Years of Practice and Community Service and Awards 5 “Niamtu’s Heroes”

I finished my maxillofacial surgery residency in July of 1983 and entered private practice in Richmond, hoping to build a successful facial surgery practice.  I had no idea how great this experience would be and that I was building one of the largest maxillofacial practices in the country.  This was due to a lot of hard work and hiring the most talented partners in the country.  Together we did it.

Over the years, my partners and I have assisted hundreds of charities and performed hundreds of pro bono surgeries.  On October 4, 2013 we had our annual Ladies Night Out celebration and it was my pleasure to honor 5 of my heroes that I have assisted over the years.  Each of these award recipients have faced significant adversity in their life and overcame the limitations to lead normal lives and inspire the Greater Richmond Community.  Award winners included:

Paul Latimer- born with a facial growth abnormality.

Edward Sando- lost his nose and much of his face as a child during the Liberian Civil War.

Starr Jones- was shot in the face while holding her infant in a domestic violence attack.

Casey Perkins- sustained burns over 90% of his body in a Christmas tree fire.

Danny Teodorescu- a Romanian national working here to earn money who was robbed and shot.

CBS Video Coverage of Niamtu’s Heroes

As my staff and I were putting these awards together, Susan Dunham was high on the list.  Susan was a visually impaired lady that wanted a facelift but could not afford it.  I performed the surgery free of charge and this was covered my numerous national and international media outlets at the time.  We attempted to reach Susan for several weeks and did not get a call back.  I performed an Internet search and was extremely saddened to find out that Susan passed away at the age of 54 in February.  She truly influenced my life in so many ways, we miss her dearly.

To find out about any of the 5 Niamtu’s Heroes, visit

https://www.lovethatface.com/facial-surgeon-richmond-va/volunteer-work/charitable-surgeries/