A wounded 20-year-old soldier underwent surgery, while 13 Armenian children received cochlear implants as part of the Armenian International Medical Fund 20th charity mission.

Dr Akira Ishiyama, Professor, Division of Head and Neck Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Dr Salpy Akaragian. Director of UCLA's International Nursing Center Department, came to Armenia for the mission on November 26-28, 2020.

The brigade operated on a 20-year-old soldier injured during the Artsakh war in 2020. He suffered severe damage to the temporal bone and facial nerve, the operation took the combined efforts of four highly specialized surgeons. Dr Ishiyama (otologist), Dr Armine Gharakeshishyan (ophthalmologist), Dr Levon Mkhitaryan (endocrinologist) and Dr Armen Hovhannisyan (plastic surgeon) worked together to repair soldier's damaged facial nerve and prevent vision loss.

According to the experts of the foundation, such an operation to repair the facial nerve was carried out in Armenia for the first time. Moreover, UCLA Health donated a golden eyelid implant so that soldier's eye can close properly. Now the soldier is recovering from the operation. He can close his eyes, his face will no longer be paralyzed, and he can chew and swallow without problems.

During this mission, Armenian children received 600 series cochlear implants for the first time, which are compatible with MRI, work at a higher level and are available only in some countries. Moreover, 13 surgeries to place cochlear implants were successfully undergone, which is a record number of surgeries in one mission of the foundation.