When Halleigh-Catherine McKinney looks in the mirror, she can’t help but smile.
After all, the facial expression that most of us take for granted is novel for the 11-year-old, thanks to a complex facial reanimation surgery performed by surgeons at MUSC’s Facial Nerve Center.
The center is the only one in South Carolina and one of just a few in the United States that provides unique, comprehensive care to children and adults with facial paralysis. Patients come from across the Southeast and beyond seeking treatment for facial nerve injuries resulting from a variety of causes, such as Bell’s Palsy, tumors, trauma and congenital conditions.
“At MUSC’s Facial Nerve Center, patients have access to a full range of treatment options, from nonsurgical to surgical as well as all-around care that includes social work, physical therapy and facial rehabilitation,” said Michelle Hwang, M.D., Halleigh’s lead facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon.
“Our treatment is complex and personalized and is based on a patient’s condition, the extent of the paralysis and the way it affects a patient’s critical functions: breathing, speaking, eating, emotional expression, social interaction and appearance. Only after a thorough evaluation and discussion with the patient do we recommend a specific treatment.”
In addition to Hwang, MUSC Health’s multidisciplinary facial nerve team includes facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons Tyler Rist, M.D., Judith Skoner, M.D., and Krishna Patel, M.D., Ph.D. The team also includes Sarah Murphy, DPT, South Carolina’s only physical therapist trained in facial rehabilitation, and a team of psychologists, all of whom are integral to each patient’s success. When indicated, they collaborate with MUSC subspecialty physicians based on each individual patient’s needs.
Halleigh was born in 2014 with right facial paralysis and severe hearing loss. As she got older, she faced additional health challenges, necessitating 27 procedures over the first eight years of her life.
Once she became more medically stable, an ear, nose and throat (ENT) physician in Greenville referred Halleigh’s mother, Lauren Rollins, to the highly trained team of facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons at MUSC to restore movement in Halleigh’s face. The day after Halleigh’s ninth birthday, Rollins contacted MUSC. Within weeks, she met with Hwang at MUSC’s Facial Nerve Center in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Hwang explained to the Rollins family that restoring movement in Halleigh’s face would require two separate, complex procedures, performed at least six months apart. They agreed to move forward.
In 2023, Hwang successfully performed the first surgery, a cross-facial nerve graft. The intricate procedure involved taking a nerve from Halleigh’s lower leg and connecting it from the nonparalyzed side of her face to the paralyzed side.
In 2023, Hwang successfully performed the first surgery, a cross-facial nerve graft. The intricate procedure involved taking a nerve from Halleigh’s lower leg and connecting it from the nonparalyzed side of her face to the paralyzed side.
Nearly a year later, Hwang and Skoner, a dual facial plastic and microvascular surgeon, transplanted the gracilis muscle from Halleigh’s inner thigh, along with connecting arteries, veins and nerves to the paralyzed side of Halleigh’s face. Although it would still take several months for her smile to emerge, the foundation for her future smile was in place.
After her post-operative hospital recovery, Halleigh was cleared to return home to the Upstate. Everyone was smiling, but all eyes were on Halleigh, knowing that her smile would soon shine through.
More than 18 months after Halleigh’s final surgery, Rollins said her daughter is living life to the fullest, swimming and horseback riding at Cedar Springs Academy at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind in Spartanburg. She’s even playing sports with her younger brothers, Oakley, 8, and Langston, 5.
Halleigh’s progress reflects not a single moment but a carefully sequenced process – one that combines surgical expertise, facial rehabilitation and a long-term partnership with patients and families.
Best of all, she can smile. For Halleigh to feel like she’s just like everybody else is huge...The surgery has been a true blessing for us, and life is more beautiful than it has ever been.
“Best of all, she can smile,” Rollins said. “For Halleigh to feel like she’s just like everybody else is huge. We’ve all seen a definite boost in her confidence. The surgery has been a true blessing for us, and life is more beautiful than it has ever been. Knowing what all she’s been through and seeing that this surgery was a success is truly a milestone.”
For Hwang and Skoner, every patient is a reminder that the procedures they perform are life changing.
“Each patient comes with their own story and specific needs, both emotional and physical, that are unique to that individual,” Hwang said. “Facial reanimation patients are lifelong patients. To be able to give them options for their treatment and to develop a relationship with patients and their families is an honor. Our team loves to do this work, not just from a technical perspective, but because it gives us so much joy.”
“To be able to smile is everything,” Skoner added. “A smile is a powerful way to communicate. Restoring facial movement means restoring confidence. It is life-changing for our patients and humbling for our team.”
As she watches Halleigh smile, Rollins said she can’t speak highly enough about the entire team at MUSC.
“There was not a single nurse or doctor who didn’t give 100% every day.”
There was not a single nurse or doctor who didn’t give 100% every day.
Michelle Hwang, M.D.
- ENT - Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
- ENT - Ear, Nose & Throat
- Charleston, SC
Tyler Rist, M.D.
- ENT - Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
- ENT - Ear, Nose & Throat
- Charleston, SC
Judith Skoner, M.D.
- ENT - Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
- ENT - Ear, Nose & Throat
- Head & Neck Cancer
- Charleston, SC
Krishna Patel, M.D., Ph.D.
- Pediatric ENT - Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
- ENT - Ear, Nose & Throat
- ENT - Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
- Head & Neck Cancer
- Charleston, SC
Margaret Lamb
Margaret Lamb has extensive experience in higher education, health, medical and wellness communications as a writer, editor, spokesperson and manager. A graduate of the University of South Carolina (USC) with a degree in political science, she has worked for USC and Clemson University as well as Hill & Knowlton Public Relations and The Atlanta Constitution.
