Couple refutes plastic surgery story
March 17th, 2008Laurence and Chelsea Kirwan have issued statements refuting a story by Bonnie Estridge in the [UK] Daily Mail in which he was quoted as saying that he “may well consider” plastic surgery to alter the facial features of their daughter Ophelia, who has Down syndrome. They say the story was obtained under false pretenses, and that their comments were taken out of context. Laurence Kirwan is a plastic surgeon with offices in the U.S. and London.
The Kirwans also criticized a followup article in the Daily Mail by writer Amanda Cable. That article is no longer available for viewing on the Daily Mail’s website, but is referenced here.
In an email to this website, the Kirwans wrote:
We have never recommended or even considered cosmetic surgery for Ophelia. We are far more interested in her health, as well as her physical and mental development. Of course we love Ophelia as she is.
The decision to have surgery on a child with congenital anomalies is a complex one taken between the parents and their surgeon. We should leave that decision to the individual family and their medical advisors to decide on its own merits. Reconstructive surgery for congenital anomalies of all kinds has improved the quality of life of millions of children. As a plastic surgeon I have spent my life correcting congenital deformities in the USA and in Third World countries, as part of charitable missions
Please take the time to read our comments on Ophelia’s web site as well as her diary which documents Ophelia’s progress over the last 2 years and our emotions during that period.
Lastly, Chelsea and I were assured that this was a mother daughter article for Mother’s Day without any mention of me or plastic surgery. If we had known otherwise we would never have been a party to this shameful article which is a disservice to all individuals with disabilities and to the Down syndrome community in particular. We have always championed research into Down syndrome and that is why in the original article of March 2, Bonnie Estridge gives the names of the charities we support. Neither charity has any interest in cosmetic surgery but is primarily concerned with developmental progress and quality of life issues.
– Laurence and Chelsea Kirwan
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on Monday, March 17th, 2008 at 1:42 pm and is filed under Down syndrome, media, medicine.
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March 19th, 2008 at 10:38 am
I read the original article and as a parent of a 4-year-old son with Down syndrome, I was VERY touched by Ophelia’s parents’ honesty and disclosure of their personal experience of having a beautiful daughter with Down syndrome and the blessing they feel she is. The fact her father is a plastic surgeon was secondary. I read it very carefully and the impression I got was that they were not saying they would change her looks, but if she wished when she was older, they would give her the option — but only if that was what she wanted.
I felt it was very unfair to couple it with the second article and miss out the actual essence of the original story, which is of a couple’s journey and love for their daughter, who happens to have Down syndrome.
I thank them for sharing their love for Ophelia with us. I think sometimes as parents we can jump to quickly to respond and risk missing the true beauty behind the article.
March 19th, 2008 at 7:47 am
Thank you to Christine Shepherd and Patricia Bauer.
Parents with children with disabilities have enough hurdles in real life without dealing with the imagined ones that the tabloid press creates to spice up their articles at our expense. What we need is an intelligent, thoughtful piece on these children and adults to increase public awareness. I am proud to be Ophelia’s parent and feel somewhat special. I would like to see her reach her full developmental potential which is why I support William Mobley at the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital because I think their research can correct the enzyme abnormalities in Down Syndrome and their cognitive skills and reduce the possibility of the early onset of Alzheimer’s. It may also help other sufferers from Alzheimer’s.
Laurence Kirwan
Editor’s note: An earlier post about Dr. Mobley is here.
March 19th, 2008 at 3:33 am
I’m the editor of a book for UK schools which aims to find quality journalism which makes students think and gets them to debate issues. ‘Quality journalism’ can restrict us to a very few newspapers but we do try to trawl other sources, including the tabloid press and that is how we came across the story in the Mail. Like most people (including the many who have repeated it on the web) I took the reporting at face value.
I am both pleased to have found the Kirwan’s rebuttal and scandalised at the way they have been treated. They appear to have been grossly misrepresented. I am sure their analysis of the relative power of a member of the public and a big national newspaper is correct but they might try the Press Complaints Commission http://www.pcc.org.uk/complaints/process.html
The Kirwans might at least like to know that when my researchers made enquiries about the article they were told that it could not be reproduced “for legal reasons”
The only consolation that I can offer is that they have a beautiful daughter and their own integrity — the Mail is just tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapping paper.
Christine Shepherd
Stockport
UK