Madalyn Trainer is only weeks into her new position as a registered nurse in the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Emergency Department. She is also still recovering from preprosthetic implant surgery.
Her journey started when she first noticed symptoms at 16-years-old. The now-22-year-old said her nose was constantly running and her right eye was always watering. She tried multiple antibiotics without any relief. Her dentist found several teeth on her left side becoming loose. An oral surgeon ordered a CT scan, where a mass was found in her right sinus cavity. After many CT scans, lab work, and biopsies, she was diagnosed with a giant cell granuloma. While it was not cancerous, Madalyn started an injection medication to help shrink the tumor. She was on these shots for around a year before her surgeon felt confident in operating.
In June of 2020, Madalyn had her first surgery to completely remove the tumor in her sinus cavity. Her upper jawbone was taken out, along with a few teeth. Afterward, she was fitted for an oral obturator, which for years she called her dentures. This was difficult to use.
In 2024, Dr. Eric Wang, MD, FACS, Executive Vice Chair, Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and Division Chief of Rhinology, performed a sinus surgery to open the nose and do biopsies to confirm the cancer was gone.
Meanwhile, Madalyn was getting sinus infections multiple times a year, and the oral obturator was growing increasingly uncomfortable.
Merely hearing about a possible reconstruction had Madalyn very excited. As a nursing student when she met with Dr. Matthew Spector, MD, FACS, Division Chief, Head & Neck Surgical Oncology & Microvascular Reconstruction, she asked almost every question that popped into her head. “Thankfully, Dr. Spector answered every question no matter how many times I asked,” she said.
After doing her own research and talking with Dr. Spector and Dr. Daniel Hawkins, DMD, FACS, Madalyn realized the KLS preprosthetic was very new and just being introduced to the U.S. An individualized patient solution, this IPS titanium plate implant involves placing a plate that already has dental implants in place. “I was very excited about the innovation of this surgery and my part of experimenting with this new prosthetic type,” she recalled. “Also, Dr. Spector told me he was trying a newer approach which included making a smaller incision near my ear, instead of multiple incisions on my face/neck, which was super cool and nice!”
During surgery in June 2025, Drs. Spector and Hawkins put the new teeth in. Dr. Spector also performed a free flap from her thigh at the same time to close the defect.
Though surgery and recovery were one of the most difficult journeys for Madalyn, both physically and mentally, she received a lot of motivation from her family and friends that resulted in a positive mindset and the knowledge that she would eventually be back to normal.
She still has moderate pain from talking, but it has slowly and surely gotten better. Her leg is healed, and she can do all the activities she did prior to surgery. “My main focus right now is to continue to allow the swelling in my cheek to reduce and make appointments to have the prosthetic piece checked as needed,” Madalyn said.