Team members

Myhanh Nguyen

MyHanh Nguyen is a nurse practitioner who is currently practicing in Plastic and Hand Surgery at the VA Palo Alto Medical Center. Myhanh did her undergraduate studies at UC Irvine and Completed her Master of Science in Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner education at CA State University Long Beach in 2006. Over the last 10 years, Myhanh has volunteered with several international non profit organizations to provide free cleft lip and palate surgery for the underserved. When asked about the source of inspiration and dedication to helping children with cleft lip and palate, Myhanh shared: “It all started when I was an 8 year old Vietnamese refugee in Thailand. I was such a tomboy then. Fearless and hot headed, I never hesitated to throw a punch at any boy for any reason. One day these boys ganged up on me, held me down, and forced another boy to kiss me on the lips. At 8 years old, I reluctantly got my very memorable and traumatic first kiss, forced on to me by a 12 year old boy with a cleft lip and palate. After this fateful kiss, we immigrated to California to start a new life. In my new life, I was no longer running amok, picking fights with boys but often spending most of my after school hours watching TV. Oftentimes I would see infomercials from Operation Smile asking for help for children with cleft lip and palate. The memory of that traumatic kiss came flooding back. I grew up feeling very victimized by this fateful kiss. It wasn’t until I became a nurse practitioner when I finally understood that the true victim in this fateful kiss memory is the 12 year old boy with the cleft lip and palate. This little boy whom I shared my first kiss was ridiculed and used as a means to traumatize myself and other children. Because of this fateful kiss, I am forever in a mission to help children with cleft lip and palate.”

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