A recent article in The New York Times discusses the ultimately uplifting story of a California man who served in the war in Afghanistan and came home disfigured after he nearly died of catastrophic burns, but has since been helped by a philanthropic California medical program that has helped to restore his face and his confidence. 

The young man was riding in a Humvee in Afghanistan during his first tour of duty when the vehicle hit a mine. The man's team leader was killed instantly and he was thrown from vehicle in flames. The man could have died from his wounds, but he survived. The military hospitals helped to save his life and to heal his physical wounds, but he remained disfigured and did not look like his former self. 

He was referred to a private medical program at UCLA called Operation Mend that has given him free cosmetic surgery, and he now looks much more like his former self, which has raised his self confidence considerably.

The program has given free cosmetic surgeries to more than 50 veterans who were burned in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The surgeries cost about $500,000 for each soldier.

The man's challenges are still steep, particularly as he also lost both sets of fingers in the fire. Since the most recent surgeries, however, the man has begun to return to his former active life more and more with an increasing vitality and energy.

Source: The New York Times, "For Soldier Disfigured in War, a Way to Return to the World," James Dao, Jan. 30, 2012