One of Davis Pearce’s earliest and fondest memories is spending the afternoon at Zoo Day, an annual event hosted by pediatric reconstructive surgeon John Grant, III, MD.

“I was scared of the alligators, but I really liked the train ride,” recalls the eight-year-old Huntsville boy, who was born with a cranial deformity caused by sagittal  synostosis. Davis underwent corrective surgery on his skull just three months after birth, and has traveled to the Birmingham Zoo each summer since his operation at Children’s Hospital in 2001. 

“Last year, I got to ride a camel and feed a giraffe whose tongue was purple and felt like sandpaper,” he says. “I also liked feeding those colorful birds. It was scary at first but then it was fun to see how many would sit on you.”

Dr. Grant, who heads the UAB Cleft and Craniofacial Clinic, has hosted the gathering for his young patients and their families for the past decade.

"Hundreds of people turn out,” Grant says. “The kids come with their parents and their siblings. When you work with patients who have a long-term condition and you follow them for 12 to 18 years, you truly form a relationship with them. I like hanging out and laughing with these children. It's also good for the nurses and ICU staff to get a chance to see them running around and just being kids.”

Grant, a graduate of Duke University and the University of Maryland Medical School, says he was inspired to host an event for youngsters after training in plastic surgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

“When I was in Seattle, the burn unit there did a similar type gathering, which gave me the idea for this. Our first party was held in the parking lot of Children’s Hospital, where the kids were treated to pizza, face painting and a dunking booth. At the zoo, we feed them, pay their admission, give them tokens for the rides, plus provide a goody bag and a really cool t-shirt. This event is an opportunity for families who haven't yet been through the surgery to network with those who are years down the road. I only know what happens in clinic, the hospital and the operating room. The other parents can lay it all out as far as what to expect in the days and weeks after they go home."

Performing surgeries to correct traumatic and congenital defects and other craniofacial issues, Grant realizes the dramatic impact he makes on his patients’ lives.

“I believe if you make a difference early on, you allow them an infinite number of opportunities to pursue,” he says. “From a surgical standpoint, it's challenging because I know I can always be better.  Results I was thrilled with ten years ago, I’ve been able to improve on.

“Whether it's right or wrong,” Grant says, “our society judges people by their faces. If your’s looks particularly unusual, people can jump to the conclusion that your brain doesn't work, which is just so wrong, because a lot of these children are really smart. This area of medicine can be very emotional as well, like when a family tells you that seeing the outcome of the procedure is like experiencing the birth all over again. One mother flat out denied the baby who was wheeled in after cleft palate surgery was hers. We had to show her the armband as proof until he woke up."

Grant’s wife, Cindy, a veterinarian specializing in medical rehabilitation for dogs, is a longtime supporter of her husband’s efforts to give back, as is Grant’s partner, Peter Ray, MD, who also reaches into his own pocket to help cover annual party expenses that exceed $10,000.

As Davis’s mother, Brenda, puts it, “Dr. Grant is a superstar at the zoo – all the kids want their pictures taken with him and he gets an abundance of hugs every year. It’s a day you count your blessings and can be thankful for having such a wonderful place like Children’s Hospital. Dr. Grant truly wants the best for his patients and checks in on them every year to make sure all is well.  He’s more than just a physician to us. He’s my son’s hero.”