Santhosh and Susan Mathews, of Chattanooga, are the parents to Philip, Sara and Caleb. From the time of his birth, Philip battled craniofacial differences and underwent 25 surgeries during his 19 years of life before passing away in October of 2019.
A craniofacial difference is a deformity affecting a child’s facial structure and skull, according to the website myFace.
“When we went through the struggles of caring for Philip, providing for surgical treatment, education, speech and nutrition therapy, and battling as parents of a special needs child, we began to wonder how children like Philip survived outside of the USA,” Susan Mathews wrote in an email. “Philip is the reason behind Love Without Reason, which we founded in December of 2007.”
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Today, the local nonprofit organization that has had an influence in multiple countries works to help patients with craniofacial differences in need of surgeries.
“Our family is from India, and we knew that if Philip was born in India, he would not have survived,” Susan said. “The health care resources, compassion and education plans that we were blessed with in Chattanooga are not available in India.”
Santhosh Mathews said it means so much to him seeing his son’s legacy live on through the work Love Without Reason does today.
“I remember holding Philip in my arms after delivery and wondering how he would survive in this world with all his complications,” he wrote in an email. “I ended up learning so much from Philip and his love for life, enthusiasm and attitude. Now, it is my joy to see his smile and his legacy living on through the lives of the children of Love Without Reason.”
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Susan said one surgeon from India the organization worked with told them there’s approximately 40,000 cleft babies born every year in India alone, but not anywhere near that many surgeries for that condition are performed in the country.
Contributed Photos by Love Without Reason / Philip Mathews cheers on runners at the annual Run4Love 5K race to benefit Love Without Reason, the organization that works to help children born with cleft/lip palate in his memory. Philip passed away in October 2019.“So the question is, what is happening to the children? Where are they?” Susan wrote.
Once the couple took off with Love Without Reason, their goal was to provide free craniofacial surgery for those in need in developing countries. However, they discovered that children born with those facial differences are often sold into trafficking networks, so the urgency became even greater.
“We understood the link between facial birth defects and human trafficking,” Susan wrote. “The vision is to prevent human trafficking before it even starts. One facial surgery can literally change the trajectory of a child’s life.”
September is Craniofacial Acceptance Month, and Love Without Reason is hosting its annual 5K Run4Love race at 9 a.m. Sept. 10 at the Tennessee Riverpark, 4301 Amnicola Highway. All proceeds from the race go towards providing free facial surgery for children and adults born with cleft lip/palate, according to the Mathews.
The event is a family-friendly day of fun that includes dancing, the race and a celebration of “cleft heroes” across the world, the Mathews said. This year marks the eighth race, and the third without Philip on the sidelines cheering with his family.
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“Philip told us his dream, and that was to work ‘Until the World is Cleft Free, and Until There are No More Sold,'” Susan wrote, explaining Love Without Reason’s mission statement. “On his last day on earth, we made a promise to him that we would continue his dream. Philip knew the pain of these children. He knew about the bullying, the struggles and the pain of surgery and recovery. But he overcame the challenges.”
Philip was a graduate of McCallie School and traveled to 13 countries sharing his story and encouraging people that “Nothing is impossible with God,” his parents said. He even wrote his autobiography, “If Philip Can, You Can Too” and it sold well on Amazon, according to Susan Mathews.
“All children deserve love, dignity, respect and acceptance,” she said. “The 5K Run4Love is spreading that message. To date, more than 800 children and adults have received free facial surgery through Love Without Reason.”
Runners can sign up for the event at bit.ly/5KRun4Love. Love Without Reason also offers many volunteer opportunities for those interested in sharing their skills and talents to help build awareness about craniofacial differences. To learn more, visit lovewithoutreason.org or contact info@lovewithoutreason.org or visit its office at Eastgate Town Center.
Email Brandi Dixon at bdixon@timesfreepress.com.