Briarwood teenager gets facial surgery for ‘one-in-a-million’
condition at Northwell Health treras. “For me, it was
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | MARCH 12-MARCH 18, 2021 11
Dr. Bradley, Contreras
recalled “frequent episodes
of cruelty and violence”
she experienced
due to judgement from
other people.
“I’m speaking out because
I hope that no one
else would ever have to
endure what I had to go
through because of my
appearance,” said Con-
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Just two and half
months after a Briarwood
teen underwent a
rare facial surgery, she
and the team at Northwell
Health celebrated
a successful procedure
for a “one-in-a-million”
condition and her newfound
confidence on
World Birth Defects
Day.
The hospital held
a press conference on
Wednesday, March 3,
for 19-year-old student
Taina Contreras who
was born with the rare
Tessier #4 craniofacial
cleft, which caused congenital
facial abnormalities.
For the last two
decades, she received
more than 21 surgeries
to correct issues in her
face and eye formation.
The latest surgery at
Northwell happened on
Dec. 22, 2020, and was
performed by hospital
plastic surgeon and
Vice Chair of the Department
of Surgery Dr.
James Bradley. During
the procedure, the doctor
reshaped Contreras’
nose and corrected
prominent scarring on
her upper lip.
“Taina was born
with the very rare Tessier
#4 craniofacial cleft,
which is so rare that we
believe it occurs in only
one of a million births.
There are 14 rare craniofacial
clefts that occur
every 1 in 1,000,
births, but in Taina’s
case, the incidence of a
bilateral #4 is so much
more unusual,” said Dr.
Bradley.
Contreras’ first surgery
was performed
when she was 5 months
old to correct an open
cleft lip and since then,
the teen has sometimes
endured two to three
surgeries per year on
her eyelids, lips and
nose. According to the
hospital, many of the
surgeries were painful
and required months
of recovery but failed
to permanently correct
the problems.
The teen and her
mother Eva Contreras
learned of the doctor’s
work with facial differences
and reached out
to the hospital for help.
She was experiencing
eye dryness and discomfort
due to the fact
that she was born without
tear ducts as well as
blurry vision and other
issues caused by her eye
positioning.
“The surgery was
done to correct not only
her functional problems
and improve her
appearance, but to give
her a feeling of normalcy,”
said Dr. Bradley.
“She’s a very brave and
sensitive young lady,
and our goal is to make
her feel as comfortable
as possible as she pursues
every activity in
her life.”
At the reunion with
Top row standing (left to right) Taina, Jamie Mazzei,
Dr. James Bradley. Seated (left to right) Taina’s sister,
Isabel and mother, Eva.
Photo courtesy of Northwell Health
important not to give
up and to strive for a
normal life.”
Post-recovery, Jamie
Mazzei, the co-owner of
popular Long Island salon
Nubest, surprised
the teen with a gift basket
of high-end products
for her hair and
makeup for her eyes
and face.
“When we heard
about Taina, we decided
that we had to reward
her courage and her
resiliency with some
beautiful products,”
said Mazzei. “I hope she
enjoys them, and that
these items make her
feel as beautiful on the
outside as we know she
is on the inside.”
At the event, the teen
shared an important
message that “facial deformities
do not make
us defective.”
“We may have scars
on our faces, but under
all that, we’re just the
same as everyone else,”
said Contreras. “We
want to be loved and
respected, just like the
rest of the world.”
The Briarwood teen
recently, received a
scholarship to NYU
where she is studying
electrical engineering.
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by e-mail at
jbagcal@qns.com or by
phone at (718) 260-2583.
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