Here are some stories from the children. If you want to see more go to www.operationsmile.com

Just five years old and already I know about rejection, denial and disappointment. It’s a hard lesson for a child like me whose only desire is to be normal. Through no fault of my own, I was born with a disfiguring cleft lip. Outside of our home, my mother says I would duck and cover my head since it hurt me so much to be stared at. I love to play baseball though, and it took a lot of courage for me to join the other village kids when they played because of how much they teased me.

Every night before going to bed, I would get on my knees and pray for a miracle that would make me look just like all the other kids. My prayers were answered. During the Operation Smile medical mission to Barinas, Venezuela, I was one of more than 160 children selected for surgery. When my father saw me in the recovery room, he said, “I feel joy, much joy. I thank all the doctors. May they keep performing this good work, not only for my child, but for all the children who need it.”