Operation Smile

The other weekend I made a trip down to Addis Ababa, the country’s capital, to volunteer with Operation Smile. Besides it not having an acronym for a name, there are several reasons why I like this organization. It is still all in the name though. They perform surgeries on people of all ages from around the world who have cleft lips and/or palettes. Although those afflicted with this facial deformity know nothing else, since it is something that occurs during pregnancy, the stigma and discrimination associated with it keeps many of them from smiling. They are nervous that you will judge them, just like many do. The research on the causes of cleft lips and palettes is unclear. Some say it has a genetic marker, others say it is due to unhealthy habits of the pregnant mother. It may be both or none of them. The unknown can be frustrating, but unlike many medical mysteries, this one has a cure.

Operation Smile is one of the few organizations responsible for changing the lives of the babies, kids, teens, and adults who have cleft lips and/or palettes. I don’t say this lightly either. When it comes to public health, most of the hard work churned out by dedicated community health workers, nurses, doctors, and volunteers alike goes unnoticed. In terms of HIV/AIDS, I will probably never know the impact that I have on my community in Injibara, if any. It is hard to measure for so many reasons. This goes for many public health issues. That doesn’t make us work any less diligently, but once in a while immediate gratification is nice.

I was only there for a couple of days, while other Peace Corps Volunteers came to volunteer for the whole week. I envy them. I got there the first day when the hopeful families came from far distances to register and screen for the surgery. We played games with the kids and tried to keep everyone entertained because the process is long. We also helped translate for the foreign doctors and volunteers who came from places like Sweden, Ireland, and the States on their own dime to help Operation Smile’s cause. I wish I could show a before and after picture of the patients, but I wasn’t there to see them after surgery. Only before and I can only imagine the physically and emotionally changes that occur almost instantly for them after. It is beautiful thing, really.

When I was trying to find potential patients for the surgery in my town, I realized that I have never seen a single soul with a cleft lip or palette. They are here. I know it because the health extension workers found quite a few. It goes to show how little these people leave their houses for fear of how the community might react. One little baby from my town was not in the best condition when she arrived in Addis at the hospital to get the surgery. Actually, the volunteers and doctors questioned whether or not she would make it through the week it was that bad. Needless to say, she was not ready for such a drastic event. Right now I am trying to find this family. Not so much to follow-up and schedule her for another Operation Smile mission in five months as to try to save her. In a sense I feel like it is futile to go searching for one baby who is malnourished when there are probably hundreds in my town, but I suppose when something, or rather someone, is called to your attention like this, it would be negligent not to. I can only wish for the best.

Not everyone who registers for surgery is eligible. It has a lot to do with weight, age, and complexity of the cleft lip and/or palette. But each family comes with hope that maybe their life will change for the better at the end of the week. Many of them do. And from what I hear it is amazing to see that transformation, especially those old enough to realize it. I plan on doing this again, only I will be there the whole week to see it for myself.