In May, Dr Lampert will offer free reconstructive and medically necessary plastic surgery to mums in Florida who are under-insured or do not have insurance. Photo: Andres Herrnandez Studio/Dr Joshua Lampert/TNS
Dr Joshua Lampert misses his mum more than usual when May comes around.
Adele Lynn Lampert died March 2020 at 68. She battled for over a decade with metastatic pheochromocytoma, a rare form of cancer that spread throughout her body.
This May, in honour of her memory, the board-certified aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgeon in Aventura is offering free reconstructive and medically necessary plastic surgery to mums in Florida, the United States, who are under-insured or don’t have insurance.
"She was always really proud of the charitable projects that I did, and the surgical mission trips, so I thought, instead of moping around and being depressed on Mother’s Day, I'd do something I think she would be proud of,” said Lampert, 46, who is certified with the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is an assistant professor at Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.
Lampert’s office accepted online applications and nominations for the free surgeries until April 21. His team then reviewed the applicants and selected a limited amount of patients.
He’s not looking for women who want Brazilian butt lifts, a popular procedure in Miami. He’s also not looking for mums who want facelifts, rhinoplasties or breast enhancements for aesthetic reasons.
Instead, his inaugural A.L.L. For Moms Charity Surgery Day (named after his mum) is for mothers who need financial help with cancer, traumatic and burn reconstruction surgery, C-section scar revisions, acquired or congenital deformities and breast reconstruction, including breast reduction and breast implant removal.
Dr Lampert with his late mum Adele. Photo: Dr Joshua Lampert/TNS
Reconstructive surgery is pricey and can cost thousands, barring many who are under-insured or without insurance from the procedures, he said. He’s not sure how many free surgeries he’ll schedule yet, but he plans to schedule them for May 21, his mum’s birthday. She would have turned 72 this year.
The surgeries will be conducted at his ambulatory surgery centre in Aventura. His mum, an interior designer, designed his office while undergoing cancer treatment, her last project.
"There is arguably no greater love than that of a mother for her child. This treasure is something that I can never fully grasp, but better understand now after losing my own mum. I appreciate her more and more every day,” said Lampert.
"Since my mum passed away, I have been ever so humbly more fortunate to witness my wife bear our own first son. My mum, Adele, always loved and supported my charitable efforts in surgery. I think she would be proud of this day, taking care of other mums in need, in the surgery centre that she created.” – Miami Herald/Tribune News Service
