Born on Bantayan Island in the Philippines, Jupiter was blessed to have parents who loved him unconditionally. There was a history of cleft conditions on his father’s side of the family, so although upsetting, their son’s cleft wasn’t a complete shock.

Even with the support of loving parents, growing up with the stigma of an untreated cleft had left Jupiter withdrawn and isolated. He’d learned to avoid other children because of the bullying.

A young child in a blue tank top and shorts crouches on a concrete floor in a rustic room. Behind, there are colorful brooms leaning against a corrugated metal wall. The child looks at the camera with a curious expression.
Photo: Jessica Brandi Lifland

Jupiter’s parents made a modest living from fishing. Their home was destroyed by typhoon Yolanda in 2013. Even before this huge setback, like many families around the world, they had no hope of being able to afford the costs of surgery for their son.

Thankfully, an Operation Smile surgical programme in Cebu City was the lifeline they needed and the first step towards Jupiter’s newfound confidence. When his mother saw him for the first time after surgery she wept with joy and exclaimed, “He is so beautiful!”

A young boy with short hair and wearing a green shirt looks off to the side with an expression of curiosity or confusion. The background is slightly blurred, showing a sunny, outdoor scene with brown soil and green foliage.
Photo: Jörgen Hildebrandt

Surgery has given Jupiter a second chance at a brighter future. Now he’s attending school, his parents have high hopes and his mother says, “I hope he will get a good job, maybe become a policeman, not a fisherman. We don’t want him to experience what we have experienced.”

A young boy in a white shirt and blue pants walks along a dirt road, smiling and carrying a backpack. He is surrounded by green trees and vegetation. The sunny setting suggests a rural area.
Photo: Jörgen Hildebrandt

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