Kim Phuc knows how scars and the traumatic experiences that cause them can haunt a person for a lifetime. But thanks to a dermatologist’s commitment to treat her scars, Phuc is not only recovering from her infamous wounds but also is helping others like her.
Many know Phuc from an iconic photograph, showing her and her brothers and cousins fleeing from a Napalm bombing in Trang Bang, June 1972. More than 40 years later, Phuc, the crying, naked child in the middle of the black and white image, still lives with scars that cover 65 percent of her body.
“For many years, my heart was full of hatred, and I wanted to give up. Now, I view my picture from that day as a gift, as it provides me with a larger purpose,” Phuc says. “Through my experiences, I have grown to view my journey as a true gift. I have the opportunity to spread my personal story with others to help inspire and assist other children who have been touched by war.”
Phuc started The Kim Foundation International for child war victims, and she was honorary speaker in March this year at the launch of the Restoring Heroes Foundation, a charity focused on providing America’s wounded warriors with access to world-class medical care for physical and emotional trauma. Lumenis helps support the Restoring Heroes Foundation with research and technology, according to Lumenis’s CEO Tzipi Ozer-Armon. And dermatologists, including Jill Waibel, M.D., of Miami, Fla., are providing what is often free care.