From the moment Janat was born, no one could have foreseen the physical and emotional trials that awaited her and her family.
Reflecting on the first time she saw her daughter’s smile, Fatima remembered the overwhelming shock and fear that filled her heart.
“I was scared”, Fatima said. “It was the first time I had seen something like that.”
Despite their initial fears, Fatima and her husband, Youssef, were determined to do everything possible to protect and care for Janat. However, circumstances beyond their control made keeping that promise increasingly difficult as their daughter’s health rapidly deteriorated.
Children born with cleft conditions, particularly a cleft palate like Janat’s, often face severe feeding challenges, making it difficult to receive the nourishment essential for healthy development.
Janat and Fatima encountered these struggles daily.
“I was afraid that I was going to lose her,” Fatima said. “She was suffocating, and the milk would come out of her nose. It was very painful for me seeing her like that. I was scared and didn’t know where to go or who to ask.”
As Janat grew weaker, Fatima and Youssef felt powerless watching their daughter waste away.
“I had no hope that she would live,” Youssef said. “Every day, we thought she was going to die. She couldn’t breastfeed or bottle feed.”
Even with repeated failed attempts to feed Janat, Fatima and Youssef remained steadfast in their commitment to her survival.
Then, hope arrived in an unexpected way.
A family member introduced Fatima to a video from Operation Smile Morocco, revealing that free surgical care was available for children like Janat. Even better, a surgical program was set to take place in just over a week in Oujda, a city three hours away.
Eager to grasp this opportunity, Fatima and Youssef prepared for the journey, praying it wasn’t too late for their 1-month-0ld daughter, who had already lost nearly half of her birth weight.
Alongside hundreds of other families seeking care, Janat and her parents arrived in Oujda for the comprehensive health evaluation day, ready to do whatever was necessary to save her life.
“I used to cry for my daughter to see her like that,” Fatima said. “But when I saw those kids, I told myself that I’m not alone and that my daughter was born like them. I saw some kids who’ve received surgery. I was relieved when I saw them. It gave me hope.”
The health evaluation process was extensive, with volunteer pediatricians, anesthesiologists, nurses, and other specialists evaluating Janat’s condition.
At just 1 month old, Janat was too young for surgery. Even if she had been old enough, her severe malnutrition meant she wouldn’t have been able to safely undergo anesthesia.
As Fatima started to fear they would leave without a solution, the volunteer dentists took action.
Drs. Carmen Kamas-Weiting from the U.S., Vilma Arteaga from Guatemala, and Teresita Pannaci from Venezuela, alongside the Operation Smile Morocco team, quickly arranged for Janat and her family to be transported to the local care centre.
“I was so happy,” Fatima said, as the dental team prepared to fit Janat with a feeding plate. “I’m happy that, finally, she will receive help.”
A cleft palate—a gap in the roof of the mouth—makes it difficult for babies to eat or drink, often causing milk to spill from their nose or lead to choking. As a result, many struggle to gain weight, leaving them vulnerable to illness, infection, and even death.
To protect children like Janat from malnutrition, dentists like Dr. Pannaci provide pre-surgical dental care, including feeding plates. These devices help babies eat properly, setting them on the path toward improved health and eventual surgery.
“A baby with a cleft palate can’t eat,” said Dr. Pannaci. “That’s why it’s important to rehabilitate the function of breathing, sucking and swallowing food so that the child is eating in the home environment. This is the real reason why treatment must be done from birth.”
As the dentists worked, Fatima shared that Janat could only consume about three ounces of milk per day—far below the recommended two to three ounces every few hours for newborns.
But once fitted with the feeding plate, Janat’s ability to eat changed instantly.
After trying it for the first time, she drank two and a half ounces of milk in less than eight minutes.
“I started to feel calm; [the plate] was working,” Dr. Pannaci said. “I looked at her mother, and that’s when I saw she had tears in her eyes. When I asked, ‘Why are you crying? What kind of tears are these?’ She said, ‘They are tears of happiness,’ because she knew that her daughter was safe.”
For the first time, Fatima saw Janat drink without struggling.
“I wasn’t expecting that – that they have this kind of solution for little kids,” Fatima said. “I was really happy that my daughter can drink milk, get full and be calm. I can’t describe my feelings. I was so relieved and so happy.”
Before heading home, the family returned to the care centre once more. After receiving demonstrations on how to use the feeding plate, Fatima felt confident she could continue nourishing Janat.
Janat adapted well, sleeping peacefully in her mother’s arms with a full stomach—perhaps for the first time in her life.
The feeding plate was more than a tool for eating; it was a stepping stone to better health, weight gain, and a brighter future.
Although Janat wasn’t yet ready for surgery, Fatima and Youssef remained resolute, committed to returning for continued care and monitoring.
The first month of Janat’s life had been filled with fear and uncertainty. But after leaving the Oujda Care Centre with renewed hope and the support of Operation Smile Morocco, her family felt they were finally on the right path.
“My hope grew since the day I went to Oujda” Youssef said. “She started to drink properly. She started gaining more weight day after day.”
Months later, Janat received new feeding plates, health evaluations, and a long-awaited surgery date. With each visit to the centre, her health and happiness flourished.
Dr. Soukaina Dahou, an Operation Smile volunteer dentist who had helped create Janat’s first feeding plate, was overjoyed to see the transformation.
Reuniting with Janat’s family and watching her laugh and eat cookies, Dahou could hardly believe this was the same child who had once been near starvation.
“Seeing Janat again truly is one thing that proves that what we do is really important,” Dahou said. “To see them healthy, to speak correctly, it makes me very happy. Seeing these results comforts me. It means that we help people in a good way.”
Janat and her family made their sixth trip to Casablanca, hopeful that the medical volunteers would confirm she was finally ready for surgery.
Having overcome malnutrition, months of delayed care, and long journeys back and forth, Janat passed her health evaluation.
“My dream is coming true,” Youssaf said. “Janat is the light of the house. I wanted to see my daughter as other girls, I wanted her to grow up and be a normal kid. She will be able to talk to people normally. I was so happy when they called me and told me that my daughter will receive the surgery.”
A little more than an hour in the operation room changed Janat’s life forever.
While Fatima felt immense relief and joy at her daughter’s new smile, she knew this was just one step in the journey.
Operation Smile Morocco remains committed to Janat’s continued care, including surgery needed to repair her cleft palate.
Looking at her daughter’s transformed face, Fatima knew she would do whatever it took to secure Janat’s future.
“I didn’t expect her to be this perfect,” Fatima said. “I am ready [for her cleft palate surgery]. I will go anywhere, any place. She is my priority.”
