A Parent’s Journey: Hope and Healing in Bolivia
You wake up before dawn, your heart racing with nervous anticipation. Today is the day. Clutching your child’s tiny hand, you step into the cool morning air and make your…
Patient Stories
Bringing Smiles, Building Futures: Surgical Care and Training in Bolivia
From March 22 to 28, 2025, a dedicated team of volunteer medical professionals will come together to provide life-changing cleft surgeries and comprehensive care to children and adults in need.
Janat’s Journey from Days to Live to a Brighter Future
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…
Transforming Cleft Care Through Innovation and Compassion
Operation Smile is dedicated to creating access to and providing gold-standard care for our patients and their communities. Cleft conditions are highly treatable, but the scarcity of specialized medical professionals…
From Shadows to Smiles: Daniela’s Journey of Resilience and Hope
In a small, metal shanty house at the end of an alley, Margarita faces the daily struggles of raising her two daughters, Yeisy, 5, and Daniela, 4. Daniela was born with a cleft lip and…
A Journey of Hope: Transforming Lives Through Surgery in Honduras
This November, from the 8th to the 15th, something amazing is happening in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. We are welcoming 180 children born with cleft conditions and their families for a special…
Twice the Love: Amaia’s Inspiring Journey
For Tania and Fernando, the news of expecting twins brought excitement and joy to their rural home in Ecuador. At just 22, Tania was already a mother of two, but…
“Basma” Means Smile
When Basma was born in a small village in Morocco, her parents, Mohammed and Hanane, were filled with a mix of emotions. For Mohammed, a 43-year-old vegetable seller, Basma was…