Smile Train Stories

Curitiba, Brazil — A note from the mother of one of our patients that was given to and translated by our partner CAIF/AFISSUR after the excellent care her son received during his free cleft surgery and follow ups.

Lucas is my first child. I got prenatal care in the Public Health System and the ultrasound did not show any problems, so I expected Lucas to be a normal baby. I was really shocked when he was born with a cleft lip and palate. Due to his cleft, he spent eight days in the hospital. At the beginning due to our shock over his cleft and the problems he had nursing, everything was very difficult for me and my family.

“For a long time, I felt guilty for Lucas’ cleft lip and palate. I assumed it was because of the way I acted during the time I was pregnant. However, after arriving at CAIF/AFISSUR, I was welcomed by a team of professionals and heard about Smile Train’s free cleft surgery program.

“With the help of this team and Smile Train, Lucas is getting high quality treatment and he can have a normal life just like other children his age. I don’t have enough words to thank CAIF/AFISSUR and Smile Train.”

Salvador, Brazil — Two years ago, eight-year-old Taina Dos Santos was a shy girl. Hiding her mouth from strangers and even her family. She would go to school, but was constantly made fun of and teased. When her siblings started to be made fun of for Taina’s cleft lip and palate by their classmates too, it only made it harder for Taina and her family.

Taina was born with a severe cleft lip and palate. She had trouble eating and speaking properly. She relied upon her family for compassion and support when she was tormented by the outside world. Before her mother brought her to Smile Train Partner, Fundacion Pequeno Principe, she avoided catching her reflection in a mirror at all costs: ashamed at her birth defect that separated her from her schoolmates.

Tania immediately after her cleft lip surgery

All of that changed on a fateful April day in 2009, when Dr. Geza Laszlo Urmenyi repaired her cleft lip free of charge thanks to Smile Train donors, as her mother Cirlene explained.

The surgeries were a victory for me. My dream since Taina was born has been these surgeries. My daughter and I faced many difficulties to finally find cleft services in Martagão Gesteira. All of my children were disturbed at school. After Taina’s first surgery, it didn’t happen anymore and they could study in peace.”

Tania just prior to her cleft palate operation, two years after her cleft lip surgery

Cirlene, was unable to bring Taina back to repair her cleft palate until recently, but Taina’s surgery and progress has been followed closely by family and friends who have seen a metamorphosis in their little girl that they never thought was possible.

“Before Taina didn’t look herself in the mirror. Today she is different, she is proud and likes to use lipstick like her classmates. All of my friends and neighbors in the countryside followed Taina’s treatment and got very happy with the result. I cried a lot when I saw my daughter’s operation, but this time, they were tears of joy.”

On behalf of Taina and her family, thank you Dr. Urmenyi, your staff, and everyone who has made Taina’s transformation possible.

Campinas, Brazil – Smile Train would like to congratulate SOBRAPAR Hospital on being selected amongst the top 10 of 630 hospitals in Sao Paulo state. A Smile Train partner since 2000, SOBRAPAR was selected as one of the best hospitals after a patient survey of over 200,000 participants throughout Brazil’s largest state.

SOBRAPAR won this great honor for its excellent medical care, the quality of its facilities, and the outstanding treatment of its patients and their families. Over 1,300 children born with cleft lip and palate have been given new lives through Smile Train’s partnership with SOBRAPAR and this prestigious designation shows that the staff of the hospital remain dedicated to providing top quality cleft care. The hospital continues to be a key leader for Smile Train in South America, producing some of the finest cleft professionals in the world out of its training programs and researching how best to fully care for children born with cleft lip and palate.

Please join us in extending our congratulations and thanks to SOBRAPAR Hospital and all of the remarkable, surgeons, doctors, nurses, administrators, and staff for this prestigious recognition and their commitment to their patients and making sure every child can smile.

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, with the eighth largest economy. Its largest city, Sao Paulo, is the seventh largest city in the world with 18.8 million inhabitants. Despite Brazil’s relative prosperity, there is still a large population living in extreme poverty, and access to reliable medical care is a luxury that many cannot afford.

We recently heard from Smile Train partner Dr. Daniela Tanikawa, who works at the University of Sao Paolo. A partner since 2008, Dr. Tanikawa is one of Smile Train’s strongest partners in Brazil. Dr. Tanikawa sent us stories from Brazil, of three Smile Train patients who had been stigmatized by their community because of their cleft lip and palate.

Rodrigo and Edilene

“Rodrigo and Edilene are siblings that come from the Indian Community Sateré-Mawé in the Amazon Forest, where the presence of a physical disability means the possession by the devil. Because of this, Rodrigo and Edilene have always been stigmatized. In their community, children used to taunt and tease them and adults used to consider them a bad omen. Medical treatment was never an option for them. One day, however, a medical expedition from the University of São Paulo School of Medicine finally found them. One of the doctors was moved by their story, and after getting in contact with the Division of Plastic Surgery, Rodrigo and Edilene were brought to São Paulo. In February of 2010 the siblings received cleft lip and palate repair. Ediana, their mother, could not believe her children went from being an evil curse to very lucky and blessed new kids. After two weeks they went back home, and now because of the Smile Train partnership their lives are completely changed.”

Maria Eduarda

“Maria Eduarda’s parents are teenagers that were devastated when they saw their first newborn daughter was born with cleft lip and palate. In addition to being young, inexperienced parents, there were feeding difficulties and compromised weigh gain related to the cleft deformity. Because they had little money, they initially thought there would be no solution to their baby’s problem. But after a pediatric consultation, they were referred to the Craniofacial Center of the University of São Paulo School of Medicine. At their first consultation they received instructions on feeding, surgeries, post-operative care and speech and aesthetic issues, which has alleviated much of their anxiety. One month later, Maria Eduarda underwent primary cleft lip repair. Because of the treatment protocol established by the partnership of Smile Train, her parents are now much more confident their baby’s problem can be solved.”