After four long days of travel from the Ukraine, Lesia Buryak, Ulyana Hapyuk, and Viktorya Hapyuk were relieved to arrive in San Diego, albeit without their luggage! Little Viktorya, 16 months old, was seen at the Shiley Eye Center by Dr. Don O. Kikkawa, Chief of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. This was not the first time that Dr. Kikkawa had met the Buryak family. Eight years earlier, Dr. Kikkawa had successfully performed surgery on Viktorya's mother and all three of her mother's sisters for an identical condition. The condition, known as Congenital Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction, was probably inherited from Viktorya's paternal grandfather's side of the family. They came to see Dr. Kikkawa because, “ He is the doctor who is the most successful at doing this surgery.”

In this genetic disorder, the tear ducts remain solid while a child is developing in the womb, therefore when born, the baby's tears spill out onto the face. Tears also accumulate around the eye or in the tear sac thus an accumulation of stale tears and tissue fluids gets infected, resulting in chronic conjunctivitis, lid infections, or even abscesses that could drain to the brain.

Viktorya's mother, Ulyana Hapyuk, and her sister Lesia Buryak, had more complicated surgery in 1996 due to changes produced by chronic infection. Lesia, who was 16 at the time, had undergone five previous unsuccessful operations in the Ukraine. Lesia, who is fluent in English, is now a fifth year medical student in the Ukraine with aspirations to be an ophthalmologist.

Lesia, Ulyana and Viktorya were hosted by retired ophthalmologist, Dr. William Selezinka, former Chief of Ophthalmology at the VA Medical Center and Director of the UCSD Ophthalmology Residency Program. Dr. Selezinka and his wife, Karan, regularly open their home to patients, physicians, and medical students from the Ukraine. Since beginning his humanitarian mission in 1992, Dr. Selezinka has brought 12 children from the Ukraine to the United States for treatment. His goal is to not only help patients, but other physicians as well. With the help of a Ukrainian physician, he translated and donated thousands of copies of medical textbooks to teaching hospitals in the Ukraine. Dr. Selezinka was awarded the International Humanitarian of the Year Award by the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Spring of 2001. He was the keynote speaker at the University of Michigan Alumni Day in October, where he spoke on “Volunteerism in Medicine.”

Viktorya had successful surgery in early July this year with Dr. Kikkawa. The little girl is extremely bright. She walked at a very young age, listens very well, and has an active curiosity about everything!

With Drs. Kikkawa and Selezinka's help, two generations of the Buryak family can now live their lives normally and hopefully, in the future, Lesia Buryak will be able to prevent many of her countrymen from suffering the same fate as she did.

They came to see
Dr. Kikkawa because,
“ He is the doctor who is the most successful at doing this surgery.”