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A Nurse's Story

Linda Highfield is one of our volunteer nurses. After volunteering with Operation Smile for the last 19 years she knows what life’s like for children with cleft lips and cleft palates. “The children often don’t go to school,” she says. “They’re shunned and in some communities and ethnic groups they’re ostracised and even considered evil.” One of our plastic surgeon, Dr. Crabtree adds, “You can’t imagine a more challenging condition in an otherwise normal healthy kid… I’ve taken care of many 9- and 10-year-old girls who have never left their house or their family compound until we see them.”



In Bolivia, several years ago, Linda Highfield helped fix a 5-year-old boy’s cleft lip. After the surgery, she spoke with the mother who she says “was smiling like a Cheshire cat.” Thanking the medical team profusely, the mother said that when her son was delivered and his cleft lip became visible, “The midwife said you should just put the baby under the bed and let him die.” The mother nurtured her son despite his rejection by the community and some of his family members. Five years later, when Operation Smile came to Bolivia, she made the long trek to their site to make sure that her son received the surgery.

"I’ve heard stories throughout the years of unbelievable sacrifices. Many of these parents would do anything for their children," Highfield says.

One such parent was a poor farmer in China. To earn extra money, he searched the local trash dump for discards to sell or barter to help support his family.

On one of his trips to the dump, the farmer heard crying. He followed the cry and found a baby girl lying in the rubble with a note stuck to her clothing that said, "Please help my child." The baby girl had a cleft lip. The one child policy due to overpopulation restricts many Chinese families to having a single offspring. Highfield says, “Many people revere male children, not female children, let alone a female child with a deformity.”

"He couldn’t walk away from that baby, and he knew what would happen," Highfield says. "He picked the child up and took her home anyway." The man's wife was hysterical. She knew they couldn’t have more than one child. She told him to take the child back. When he refused, she asked him to leave.

The farmer searched for a place that would help the foundling and eventually located Operation Smile. The baby girl had the surgery. Afterward, the team asked the farmer if they could help him financially. He declined their offer and said, "You have already given me the greatest gift you can, and that is to take care of my child and make her whole again."

These volunteers will never forget the children they help. Sometimes it’s the older ones who leave a lasting impact.

Linda Highfield says the 13-, 14- and 15-year-old children, “Have suffered a lot longer than a 2-year-old, and they have it imprinted in their minds that they’re ugly. They’re very shy, and oftentimes their parents tell them you can’t get married.”

On the last day of a medical project in Vietnam and as the medical team were packing up to go, two brothers in their 40s walked up to the site and asked if the team could fix their cleft lips. One of our doctors asked them “Why didn’t you guys show us earlier?”

The brothers replied, “We did, but when we saw all the kids in line, we didn’t want to take their place.” The team was taken aback and did the surgeries. Afterward, when one brother looked in the mirror, he had a tear in his eye. We asked him “Is there anyone you want to show or tell?” “No” he said “I just want to do one thing. I want to kiss my wife.”

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Operation Smile Reaches Milestone: 150,000 Children Receive New Smiles

Over 28 years, the children’s medical charity has evolved with a focus on sustainability and safe surgery; future initiatives include China anniversary and India partnerships

Operation Smile is proud to announce an incredible milestone: the organisation has given 150,000 smiles to children and young adults around the world who previously suffered from a debilitating cleft lip or cleft palate. More than 150,000 lives are now changed forever. A look back at the organisation’s history over the last 28 years showcases substantial growth, and an ever-evolving model. As Operation Smile nears its 30-year anniversary, it looks ahead to future initiatives designed to create even greater results for patients.



Recently, on Operation Smile’s medical mission in Guayaquil, Ecuador, the first patient was 2-year-old Cristian Nunez from Quito. Little did he know he represents the first child of the next thousands of patients whose lives will be transformed by a surgery that can take as little as 45 minutes. What his parents did know is that after his surgery, he will never again be shunned or rejected because of his appearance; he can finally eat and speak clearly as he grows up.

The need for quality cleft care is urgent. Every 3 minutes, it is estimated that a child is born with a cleft condition. 1 in 10 children born with a cleft die before their first birthday – 12 percent of children born with clefts die under the age of 5. Additionally, craniofacial disorders affect more children every year than all childhood cancers combined. Operation Smile is dedicated to raising awareness of this life-threatening issue and providing lasting solutions that allow children to be healed, regardless of financial standing, well into the future.

With the help of international medical volunteers and generous donations, Operation Smile provides free reconstructive surgeries to children worldwide. Since its founding in 1982, Operation Smile has grown and evolved into an organisation focused on safe surgery for all its patients and building self-sustaining networks in its partner countries. What began as a single visit to the Philippines almost three decades ago is now a catalyst for improved healthcare systems in over 50 countries.

This past fiscal year, Operation Smile provided nearly 15,000 children with new smiles – the most children treated in one year in the history of the organisation. Considering the growth over the past five years – with over 51,700 patients treated during that time frame, equaling about 34% of the total patients – Operation Smile’s dream of expanding its reach to even more countries and building a model of self-sufficiency is becoming a reality. Today, more than 64 percent of Operation Smile’s 150 medical missions each year originate from partner countries that are developing their own medical volunteer base and resources to conduct missions at the local level, rather than hosting international volunteers.

“Operation Smile has hit a landmark moment of now operating on over 150,000 individuals and thousands of families whose lives we have had the opportunity to touch,” said Alex Talbot, Executive Director of Operation Smile. “And then there are thousands of volunteers who also have been touched, by sharing their times, talents and treasures with others. Then when we consider the villages that each child impacts by his or her visual change, you can begin to see the dimension that Operation Smile has affected.”

In addition, Operation Smile has established Comprehensive Care Centers in China, India, Vietnam, Columbia, Morocco, Jordan and Honduras. These Centers specialise in the care of children with facial deformities, allowing Operation Smile to treat more children; provide more in-country educational opportunities; and address all the issues surrounding childhood facial deformities to include post-operative care, counseling, speech therapy, dentistry, orthodontics, and nutrition.

Through the years, Operation Smile has always operated in the belief that, one day, every child will have the chance to smile. As we near Operation Smile’s 30-year anniversary, Operation Smile has developed the following initiatives to move the partner countries toward further self-sufficiency:

• Providing training and education for local healthcare providers in the partner countries
  
  
• Creating stronger healthcare infrastructures in those same countries through donated medical supplies at the local hospitals; building relationships with other NGOs; and constructing Comprehensive Care Centers in the partner countries that provide ongoing healthcare for patients
  
  
• Establishing Operation Smile foundations in each of the partner countries
  
  

Future initiatives include increased efforts in two areas of the world where astronomical numbers of children suffer from clefts: India and China. In India, Operation Smile entered into a public-private partnership with the state of Assam to treat children with facial deformities in the region. Each day in India, an average of 135 children are born with a cleft lip or cleft palate. In 2010, an Operation Smile team of 244 medical volunteers from 19 countries carried out a milestone medical mission in Guwahati that provided 1,871 free medical evaluations and 967 facial reconstructive surgeries. To honor the organisation’s 20th year anniversary of working in China, Operation Smile is planning an extraordinary China medical mission for 2011. More than 34,000 children are estimated to be born in China each year with a cleft.

As the organisation’s model expands, one commitment stays constant. Operation Smile is committed to the belief that safe surgery saves lives. The organisation’s Global Standards of Care ensures every patient treated by Operation Smile benefits from the same sophisticated equipment, procedures and highly-trained, credentialed medical volunteers, no matter where they receive treatment. Every medical volunteer – in the United Kingdom and internationally – must be credentialed following Operation Smile standards in order to guarantee excellence in cleft care. Operation Smile’s Regional Medical Officers work with in-country medical councils to lead medical quality assurance matters, equipment needs, site preparation, staffing and credentialing — to ensure all local regions are in compliance with the Global Standards of Care. Operation Smile is the only cleft organisation that supports the World Health Organisation’s Safe Surgery Saves Lives initiative, which includes the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist, which is designed to improve the safety of surgical care throughout the world – even in the developing world.

Our philosophy is simple. Change child’s life forever through an operation that can take just 45 minutes and costs around £150.

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Youngest Brit to Climb Kilimanjaro Raises 165 Smiles

Youngest English boy to reach the summit of Mount KIlimanjari

On Saturday 17th July 2010 at 6.50am, 13-year-old George Forbes-Nixon reached Mount Kilimanjaro’s 19,340 feet (5,895 metres) with his father David to raise much needed funds for Operation Smile and change the lives of over 165 children forever. They begun their final ascent at midnight from Barafu camp (4,600m) and walked non-stop for 17 hours (7 hours up to Uhuru Peak and then 10 hours down to the bottom of the mountain at 1,800m). George is believed to be one the youngest British children ever to have successfully reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain in the World.



George and David have raised over £25,000 Operation Smile and which will change the lives of more than 165 children who suffer from cleft lips and cleft palates.

As a Trustee of Operation Smile UK and Chairman & CEO of Alcentra, Forbes-Nixon has witnessed firsthand Operation Smile’s work. “The difference a cleft operation makes to a child’s life is enormous and it was wonderful that George was able to help other children of a similar age to him. It has been fantastic completing this challenge with George and I am extremely proud of what he has achieved as a 13 year old”. The Forbes-Nixons are donating 100% of the proceeds raised to pay for an Operation Smile Medical Project in Kenya next year. Supporters can click here to donate online

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Jessica Simpson's The Price of Beauty

with Operation Smile

While traveling the world for her show, The Price of Beauty, Operation Smile Ambassador Jessica Simpson discovered that a smile equals true beauty. In the third episode of her show, Jessica meets Meena, a 13 year-old girl who suffers from a cleft lip and cleft palate. Jessica documents Meena’s journey as she undergoes corrective surgery, performed by Operation Smile medical volunteers.



Don't miss this wonderful episode, watch it on Sunday 25th July at 10pm on MTV

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A look back over 2009 with Operation Smile

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Operation Smile Provides 967 Surgeries for Children in India

Operation Smile brought together a team of 244 medical volunteers from 19 countries to carry out a milestone medical project in Guwahati, India, that provided 1,871 free medical evaluations and 967 facial reconstructive surgeries for children and young adults suffering from cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities.



During a twenty-day period, from 30 January - 18 February 2010, two teams of local and international volunteers, including medical professionals, students, and members of the local community, worked side-by-side to bring new smiles to the largest number of patients during a single medical project ever conducted in India.

This milestone achievement was the biggest project ever attempted by Operation Smile in its 28 year history and is the first of many more large scale programs which will treat thousands of children across India. This mega project followed a previous 18-day medical project, held December 2-19, 2009 in Guwahati, where 509 children born with facial deformities were given new smiles.

"Bill and I are continually inspired by the dedication and commitment of our volunteers. We will forever remember the honest care and compassion that they delivered to the thousands of patients that were seen over these weeks. We returned home from Guwahati humbled by this experience and further pledge our continued support for the children of Assam. With the help of Mr. Ratan Tata and government leaders, a cleft-free state will soon become closer to a reality – we look forward to seeing those smiles return," said Kathy Magee, President and Co-founder.

On 27 & 28 January 2010 prior to the project, two education and Basic Life Support training programs were conducted reinforcing our commitment to not only creating new smiles, but also ensuring that every child Operation Smile treats receives quality care every time. The goal of Operation Smile training programs is to move towards sustainable programs conducted at the local level. The program trained 21 nurses from the MMC Hospital and 16 members of the local medical community in Basic Life Support (BLS). All of whom successfully achieved BLS certification; additionally 51 student volunteers from local colleges were certified in CPR.

Operation Smile’s work in India is representative of the organisation’s global effort to bring high quality care to areas of the world that have a tremendous need for cleft lip and cleft palate treatment. Operation Smile has been working closely with the Assam government, and last year entered into a public-private partnership with the state of Assam to treat children with facial deformities within the region.

Operation Smile’s first project to India was in 2002 and is scheduled to return to Guwahati in May 2010.

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Jenier, Mangua, Nicaragua

7 year old Jenier was born with a cleft lip. He lives in a village in one of the coffee growing regions in the northern part of Nicaragua.



Since Jenier was born he was always sick. His parents struggled to find anyone to help them as they could not afford the surgery that he needed. A local coffee exporter took Jenier his local town where they provided a bus to take him and his mother on the long 8 hour drive to the Operation Smile Medical Project in the Nicaraguan capital city of Managua. They arrived tired but hopefully and their efforts were rewarded when Jenier was examined and he was healthy enough to receive surgery.

Six month later our volunteers travelled to see Jenier and see how he was getting on. His father Eduardo told us , “We had a lot of struggles. I’m thankful God gave us this opportunity, I always wanted Jenier to be a normal kid and to not be afraid of anything. I thanked God when I saw him after his surgery. He is the same as other kids and he is no longer ashamed and he will grow up happy.”

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Help us raise 50 new smiles with Ryan Seacrest

Ryan Seacrest and Scope Outlast will donate 50 SMILES to Operation Smile if this video reaches 500,000 views!

Watch this video of Ryan and his mom getting "flash mobbed" on their Valentine's Day lunch and share this link - http://bit.ly/scopesmiles - with all of your friends!

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Watch Operation Smile at work in Haiti

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Harrison Ford Helps Operation Smile's Relief Efforts in Haiti

Actor Harrison Ford was able to lend a hand yesterday and today by flying our medical volunteers and supplies in three separate trips from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, into Hinche, Haiti, where our team is providing surgery for earthquake victims.



First, we sent the surgical team members across the border with Mr. Ford, so they could immediately hit the ground running. We sent a total of 14 volunteers in two trips yesterday, and at 8 a.m. today we sent our last 6 volunteers with Mr. Ford on his Cessna 208 Caravan that he piloted.



Our team will be able to get a full day of surgery in today and additional supplies are on the way.

Thanks to Mr. Ford, we were able to get our volunteers and supplies safely into Hinche much more quickly to begin our collaboration with Partners in Health and help the patients who are still in dire need for urgent medical care.

Much appreciation and thanks to Mr. Ford for his support of Operation Smile!

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