Chandigarh, India — Movies and TV shows often joke about husbands forgetting their wedding anniversaries and trying to make up for it at the last minute, but at Smile Train partner Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, at least one couple will never forget.

Last year, when the PGIMER staff finished screening a 6-month-old boy with a bilateral cleft lip and palate, they happily told the parents that the surgery was set for the next day. When the parents told them that the next day happened to be their anniversary, the staff offered to reschedule. However, the parents insisted that the best anniversary present would be the chance for a normal life for their son. The surgery went ahead as planned and both his cleft lip and palate were fully repaired. Rather than exchanging gifts or a special dinner, they spent their anniversary in the children’s ward at their baby’s side.

They returned to the hospital on their anniversary again this year with a gift for the hospital staff — a smiling one-and-a-half-year-old.

]]> http://smiletrainorg.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/a-truly-unforgettable-anniversary/feed/ 1 duncanquirksmiletrain happy-anniversary http://smiletrainorg.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/55-years-of-waiting-because-of-superstitions/ http://smiletrainorg.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/55-years-of-waiting-because-of-superstitions/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:17:28 +0000 duncanquirksmiletrain http://smiletrainorg.wordpress.com/?p=1346 ]]> Amritsar, Punjab, India — 55 years is a long time to wait for any surgery, let alone for one that could repair your cleft. Mohan Singh knows that all too well.

When he was born with a cleft lip, Mohan’s family took him to a local baba, an elder wise-man, to seek out help. The baba told them to not have Mohan’s lip operated upon — that it was likely due to past sins in another life. He also instructed the family that Mohan should never get married. The superstitions that this baba instilled upon the family, robbed Mohan of a normal life. When they grew up, his five brothers married and raised families, while Mohan was forbidden to do the same. When a social worker told him about Smile Train, he was overjoyed with the possibility, but saddened by all that he had missed in life.

A few days later, Dr. Ravi Mahajan of Amandeep Hospital, repaired Mohan’s cleft lip. After the surgery, Dr. Mahajan’s team asked Mohan if he would participate in a press conference on the dangers of superstitions. He gladly accepted so that others would be able to have their surgery at a young age and not have to go through the pain and isolation that he had: Mohan’s gift to others with cleft as he starts his life anew.

This past weekend, Dr. Navarro and his team finished a two day stint at Hospital Santa Rosa in Lima where they operated on 12 children with clefts and one teenager. That’s 13 more new smiles and second chances at life! In mid-February, the team will be traveling to the Northwestern city of Sullana for the first time to provide surgery and care while evaluating the overall need in the region.

6-month-old Saul Hinostroza waits on his mother's lap for Smile Train surgery at Hospital Santa Rosa.

Saul Hinostroza in his mother's arms after free cleft surgery provided by Dr. Navarro. He'll have a lot to smile about when his sutures heal.

Brothers Winner Ramadhan (top) and Ahmad Alwi (bottom) before and immediately after free cleft lip surgery

Sulawesi, Indonesia — anyone who has ever been helped by a complete stranger knows just how much that kindness can impact their lives, but few get the chance to repay those who helped them. David Cogswell, a Princeton Fellow teaching at the Anglo-Chinese Junior College in Singapore, recently traveled to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi where he met a poor, local English teacher and farmer named Natsir.

“Natsir showed genuine compassion and hospitality to my friend and me, opening up his home to us, introducing us to his family, and sharing what little food he had to make us feel welcome as his guests. Yet I was deeply affected when I saw his youngest son’s cleft, given the lack of cost-effective medical care in the region.”

When he returned, David reached out to his mother, a speech pathologist in the U.S., to see if she knew where to find help. She contacted Smile Train Regional Director Simon Tobing and Program Manager Deasy Lasarati who were able to track down Natsir soon after. To their surprise, both of Natsir’s sons had cleft lips. On January 14th, Winner Ramadhan and his older brother Ahmad Alwi received free surgery under skilled surgeon Dr. Senja Adianto. They’ll soon both be smiling thanks to Smile Train donors, staff, David, his mother, and their father’s kindness. This wonderful news will carry further as David is spreading the word about Smile Train’s programs to his network of teachers in Southeast Asia to reach even more children.

Yesterday, at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction and broadcast on the Speed Network, the Studebaker was sold for $79,000, all of which is being donated to Smile Train, where it will provide hundreds of desperate children with new lives. Our deepest thanks the Hills for this remarkable and generous donation.

Changsha, Hunan, China — Seven-month-old Long Zirou was abandoned by her family shortly after she was born with a cleft lip. Luckily, a kindhearted stranger found her and delivered her to the orphanage Changsha Social Welfare Home.

The orphanage has strong ties with the local Smile Train partner hospital and, when she was strong enough, Long Zirou was brought in for surgery and a new life. Her surgery was one of three simultaneous surgeries performed to commemorate Smile Train’s 250,000th surgery in China.

Happy New year to you all! As we start 2012, I have a story to share.

The day before Christmas I was walking in Nairobi town and I bumped into a young man while crossing the road. The first thing I noticed was his cleft lip and I grabbed his arm and pulled him aside. I was more surprised than he was because in all my years at Smile Train, I had never seen a cleft patient walking around town. I introduced myself and asked him if he had ever heard of cleft repair. He told me he was from North Eastern Kenya and had come to Nairobi hoping to get his cleft repaired but so far had not been successful in finding a doctor since he had no money. I told him Smile Train can help him get his cleft repaired, and more so at no cost to him. He did not believe me. Fortunately I had a brochure with me so I gave it to him with my phone number and asked him to tell his relatives to call me. Sure enough that eveing the cousin called. To cut the long story short, we organized for him to be picked up and taken to Metropolitan Hospital on 31st Dec. When they got to Metropolitan and were given the ST consent form to sign, they read it word for word and they only had one question, what is the catch? Will we be told to pay once he comes from theatre or you want to take his kidneys?…the cousin called me and asked if it was a hoax. I reassured him…

The surgery was done the same day and Abdi Hassan received a New Year gift, courtesy of a stranger to him! He is doing well. He is very grateful and says he will take the message back to Wajir where he comes from and knows of many patients suffering from the same.

And that, is my New Year motivation to do more for cleft patients.”

— Dr. Esther Njoroge.

In a few more days, the swelling will go down, and Abdi will be able to start a new chapter in his life thanks to Esther, our donors, and Dr. Wanjeri and the Metro Hospital team. To all of our patients who are starting their lives anew, our amazing supporters and partners that make Smile Train run, Happy New Year!

In a time of economic uncertainty and political turmoil throughout the world, it is incredible to see so many people from so many countries and diverse backgrounds band together to give children born with clefts new smiles and new lives. School children, retirees, democrats, republicans, famous actors and actresses, waiters and waitresses, leading businesses and those on social security, those who were born with a cleft themselves, those who never knew what a cleft was until they saw an ad in a magazine, and so many more people all helping in whichever way they can to provide free cleft surgery and follow up care to children who can’t afford it. Dismissing dangerous superstitions, turning despair into hope, and providing hundreds of thousands of miracles every year.

Recently, one of our corporate partners sponsored a Smile Train donor dinner in Washington, D.C. to update some of our donors on all of the great work we have done this year and our plans for 2012. We were lucky to have long time supporter former Secretary of State General Colin Powell in attendance. He asked if he could say a few words and we were more than happy to oblige. His words cut to the heart of Smile Train’s mission and why so many people work so hard to help children with clefts as donors, fundraising event volunteers, staff, and partner surgeons, medical staff and social worker volunteers.

“There’s nothing quite like Smile Train…nothing matches the reality of a child who believes he or she has no future, and suddenly Smile Train comes to town. It is the smile and the faces of these children that is the reality of the Smile Train effort and the success of Smile Train. Every child is a gift. Every child should be taken care of. Every child in the world we should want to take care of just as we take care of our own children.

“There is nothing more reflective of the best of humankind than what Smile Train has done and what it represents and what it will represent in the future. My thanks to all of the members of the Smile Train family around the world who are helping so many to a brighter and better future.”
— General Colin Powell

From all of us here at Smile Train, our partners, our patients and their families, Happy Holidays and thank you for helping us change the world — one smile at a time.

Jakarata, Indonesia — Despite hard living conditions, Willem and Asima were ecstatic when Asima became pregnant with their second child. They began to put aside the little money they could spare in anticipation of their new daughter’s arrival. However, during the second month of pregnancy, their joy turned to despair, frustration, and fear when Willem was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor.

The money they had saved for Wina’s birth had to be used alongside loans from family, friends, and his employer for Willem’s cancer treatment. As his cancer worsened, Willem weakened and had to quit his job. Asima explained to our partner hospital, “my entire family was so sad. My husband was too weak to do anything and I had to open a little market in front of our house to try to pay for food and his care.” After nine months, Asima had still not given birth and the doctor decided she would need to undergo a Caesarean section.

Willem was no longer strong enough to go to the hospital and could not be by his wife during her surgery — when Wina was born with a cleft lip and palate. “When my husband saw Wina, he cried. He thought it was his fault because he had a tumor.” They tried to remain strong and push forward with the help of their extended family, but three months after Wina was born, Willem passed away.

With the loss of her husband, Asima’s sorrow returned ten fold as her daughters would grow up without their father and Wina would have one less loving parent to help her in a world that looked down upon her for her birth defect. This past fall, a social worker volunteering for Smile Train partner Bandung CLP-Center in Bandung Santosa Hospital arrived at Asima’s door. Wina was enrolled at the hospital and recently underwent free cleft lip surgery and is scheduled for palate surgery when she is a few months older.

Sadly, Wina will grow up without her father, but thanks to our partner hospital, she has a new smile and will not have to face a life of torment and ridicule for how she was born. For Asima, the world was finally starting to lighten again, “Thanks to Jesus Christ for this miracle and to Bandung CLP-Center and Santosa Hospital and the team who helped my daughter. Thanks to Smile Train donors and Dr. Koeswara Amoes who performed Wina’s surgery. I hope my husband can see our beautiful daughter in Heaven and can feel this happiness too.”

From November 13 – 22, Smile Train partners from India accompanied Smile Train Country Regional Managers Som Chunharas and Dr. Ashish Sabhararwal to Myanmar in a continuation of Smile Train’s STOP Cleft program. Led by Dr. Jyotsna Murthy, the team from Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai consisted of 2 surgeons, 3 anestheologists and 7 nurses. The team worked with the three current local Yangon Smile Train partners to not only provide free cleft surgery to poor patients in the cities of Yangon and Naypyitaw, but to identify more potential Smile Train partner hospitals and provide surgical training to local surgeons and medical professionals.

The STOP Clefts team completed 91 free cleft surgeries.

While local surgeon Professor Ko Ko Maung and the India team completed 91 free cleft surgeries at two hospitals, Som and Ashish met with local hospital officials throughout numerous cities about their cleft programs and Smile Train. They identified four hospitals that currently perform cleft surgeries. Pending approval of the Ministry of Health, Mandalay General Hospital, Yangon General Hospital, Naypyitaw General Hospital and Tun Hospital in Toengy will enter the preliminary stages of full Smile Train partnership.

The STOP Clefts program concluded with a 2 day medical training intensive in Yangon for surgeons and anesthesiologists. More than 20 young and upcoming doctors attended the events, adding to the framework for future Smile Train partners. The STOP Clefts program is currently planning the follow up visit to Myanmar for further education and development of the new partner hospitals. Aside from the 91 free surgeries the team provided, they estimated that with the training programs and new partners, Smile Train will be able to provide an additional 500 surgeries on top of previous goals next year in Myanmar and continue to expand more each year.