Francis
Smith, PhD is a distinguished member
of the scientific community at the
University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical
Campus. He is a postdoctoral
research fellow studying gene mutations
responsible for a rare disorder named
Treacher Collins Syndrome (TCS) that
strikes one in 50,000 births, affecting
normal development of the head and face.
But unlike most scientists, Francis
carries the TCS gene mutations himself;
he was born with no ears, no eye sockets
or cheek bones, with a severe cleft
palate, and a severely malformed jaw. He
couldn’t even breathe at birth and was
saved by an emergency tracheotomy.
After neonatal intensive care and years
in a state foster-care system, Francis
was adopted by a Christian family and
went to school. His parents and teachers
were amazed to see that this little boy,
with such severe speech and hearing
impediments, could be so intelligent.
After more than 30 reconstructive
surgeries and social bullying and
discrimination, Francis carries an
impressive resume including training on
craniofacial disorders from London to
San Francisco and giving several
international conferences on TCS. Due to
several personal and administrative
difficulties, Francis has not been able
to renew his research funding and our
student association is organizing this
Funding Campaign to provide Francis with
a one-year fellowship to continue his
valuable research. |