According to Mission Director Evelyn Abad, “At the end of the first day of surgery we were very gratified that it went really beautifully after all the challenges of a new site. We worked them out and got our surgery schedule under way. We had a very positive result. Our hosts have been very accommodating and have helped to get all the things we need.”
Today I met two teenage boys scheduled for their very first cleft lip surgeries, Jahangir and Jaeor (Jaeor’s brother brought him to the hospital). I was particularly touched with Jahangir’s story.
Jahangir lives 3 hours away in Cox’s Bazaar. Jahangir is 14 and has an unrepaired unilateral cleft lip. He likes to play football (soccer) and helps his parents make money. Because of this he is unable to go to school. Jahangir has tried to find jobs in stores but store owners won’t hire him because they don’t want their customers to see him.
Jahangir’s uncle brought him to Rotaplast’s clinic for his cleft lip repair. He told us that he saw Rotaplast’s mission advertised in the paper and saw the banners advertising the clinic. He had been trying to find a place to repair Jahangir’s lip for 2 to 3 years but couldn’t find anybody to fix his lip or it was just too expensive.
Jahangir told his uncle that now that he was grown and that when he see’s his reflection he feels ashamed. Now that Jahangir’s lip is repaired he should be able to look at that new man in the mirror and feel a new strength in his life-thank you Uncle.
According to Pediatrician Rene Clement Vreuls, “It’s nice to be a member of a team that within 2 hours can make such a difference in the future life of this boy.”
Jaeor and his brother
“I get by with a little help from my friends”
-John Lennon and Paul McCartney