Changing Faces, Changing Lives
Marcus’ Story
Marcus’s Mum Emily tells their story…
Marcus is currently undergoing facial reanimation at 9 years old.
He was diagnosed with a brain tumour when he was 20 months old, and while the surgery successfully removed all of the tumour, the messages to his facial nerve stopped working, leaving him with a left facial palsy — meaning the muscles on that side don’t work. Marcus completed all his radiotherapy and was then reviewed by the Craniofacial team.
Last year, Marcus underwent Stage 1 surgery, where they took a nerve from his leg and transplanted it to the right side of his face. It was attached to the right facial nerve and run across his upper lip.
We then had to wait for the nerve to regenerate across his face.
In three weeks (August 2025), he will have Stage 2, where they will take a muscle from his groin and transplant it into the left side of his face. They’ll attach the blood supply and the new nerve. It will then be a 6–7 month wait to see if the nerve and muscle begin to work. It will start with a small twitch, and then, with exercise, the hope is that Marcus will have a more symmetrical smile again.
We have our fingers and toes crossed for a successful result — and to see Marcus able to smile fully again.
Thank you to Craniofacial Australia for supporting Marcus in his journey.
Emily
July 2025😊
Share This Story:
