The Face Hope Foundation was founded in 2016 by Dr. and Mrs. P. Daniel Ward, the Face Hope Foundation aims to address the medical and aesthetic issues of patients that Dr. Ward sees in his practice as a facial plastic surgeon. Many of these patients are unable to pay for these services, even though they desperately need the care and he wanted to help them. Dr. Ward started dreaming of ways he could treat these patients and make a difference in their lives. He found that he was able to waive his fees; however, the fees associated with the rest of the care, such as operating room fees, x-ray and radiology fees, laboratory testing fees, and anesthesia-related fees, for example, were still an over- whelming financial burden for these patients and their families. He decided to start this foundation to help offset some of these costs for his patients.

Just as the foundation was getting up and running, the Ward family experienced a tragedy when their daughter was severely injured while climbing in Little Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City, Utah. She was in a coma for over three months and, although she made a miraculous recovery, she still suffers from the effects of the traumatic brain injury. While their daughter was in the hospital, they were exposed to many families in similar situations.

Looking into the eyes of other patients and parents who were similarly suffering changed the Wards forever and they knew they wanted to try and help in any way possible. Despite still being in the midst of their own tragedy with their daughter, they moved forward with the foundation. As the owners of an aesthetics practice and skin care company, they decided to also have the Face Hope Foundation provide their services to any patient or family with a medical or financial need and not just limit it to facial plastic surgery patients. They wanted to help give patients HOPE for a better tomorrow, to FACE HOPE, through a life-changing facial surgery, a financial burden being lifted, or simply from a facial treatment to help them feel nor- mal again. This is how the name was chosen to represent the foundation.