Emmy-Winning Producer Lorna Luft Joins the Event to Share her Story Right Before Breast Cancer Awareness Month

MTF Biologics will receive the 2023 Corporate Humanitarian Award at Mission Plasticos’ annual Celebration of Global Friendships: Emerald City event on September 9, 2023, in Newport Beach, Calif. Mission Plasticos has been transforming lives on a global and local scale in communities in need over the last 24 years – providing reconstructive surgery, training local medical professionals, and supporting ongoing research focused on improving standards of care.

All of this is made possible by the goodwill of its medical volunteers and longtime philanthropic supporters such as MTF Biologics which provides allograft tissue free of charge to support Mission Plasticos’ efforts ensuring all women have access to reconstructive surgery regardless of their economic situation.

“At MTF Biologics, we are committed to advancing healthcare through innovative solutions and impactful collaborations, and are proud of our work with Mission Plasticos, an organization that shares our vision of making a positive difference in the world,” said Joe Yaccarino, CEO of MTF Biologics.

“As the 2023 Corporate Humanitarian Honoree, we are truly honored to be recognized for our efforts. Together we are addressing the challenges to improve the lives of women during their difficult journey with breast cancer, empowering them to lead healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives.”

This year, Emmy-winning TV producer, Broadway Star, and daughter of legendary actress Judy Garland, Lorna Luft, will be in attendance and share her breast cancer journey. Lorna is thrilled to participate in this celebration as she was diagnosed in 2012 with Stage 2 breast cancer. She is honored to share her story and be an advocate for equity in women’s healthcare.

“Mission Plasticos is thrilled to honor MTF Biologics at our upcoming gala for their unwavering support of our mission and our patients,” said Susan Williamson, Executive Director at Mission Plasticos. “Without corporations like MTF Biologics and their philanthropic investments, we would not be able to provide treatment to as many patients as we currently do. Their dedication to ensuring that every woman receives a full journey of care is a quality that we at Mission Plasticos deeply appreciate and for which we are immensely grateful.”

About Mission Plasticos

Founded in 1999 by renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Larry Nichter, Mission Plasticos is a 501-c3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing reconstructive surgery to those in need. It provides training to local medical professionals, and supports ongoing research focused on improving standards of care. The group’s board-certified, volunteer surgeons and medical teams provide reconstructive breast surgery for post-mastectomy women, burn contracture surgery, as well as post traumatic, congenital deformity, and other reconstructive surgical care at no cost to patients. Over the last two decades, Mission Plasticos has completed more than 100 missions in 15 countries, trained more than 5,000 doctors, and treated more than 16,000 patients.

In 2022 Mission Plasticos launched Reshaping Lives: Full Circle—the first large-scale nationwide program providing no-cost breast reconstruction surgery for post-mastectomy women in the U.S. who are uninsured or underinsured. Mission Plasticos provides this care using volunteer board-certified plastic surgeons across the country who are experts in breast reconstruction. Part of Mission Plasticos broader Reshaping Lives America program, Reshaping Lives: Full Circle is based on the success of Mission Plasticos global work over the last 23 years and its pioneering domestic work in California since 2016. For more information, visit https://missionplasticos.org.

About MTF Biologics

MTF Biologics is a global nonprofit organization that saves and heals lives by honoring donated gifts, serving patients and advancing science. It provides exceptional service, resources, and expertise to donors and their loved ones who give the gift of donation; patients who depend on tissue and organ transplants; healthcare providers who care for donors and recipients; and clinicians and scientists advancing medicine through transplantation science and research.

The International Institute for the Advancement of Medicine (IIAM), a Division of MTF Biologics, honors donors of non-transplantable organs by providing their gifts to the medical research community to combat and cure diseases. Statline, also a Division of MTF Biologics, provides specialized communications and technology expertise to organ, tissue, and eye procurement organizations, as well as the hospitals and patients that they serve. Its sister organization, Deutsches Institute for Zell-und Gewebeersatz – DIZG (The German Institute for Cell and Tissue Transplantation) expands its reach to patients across the globe. For more information, visit www.mtfbiologics.org.

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