Most of you know that I’ve done many medical missions with Operation Smile and have lots of stories of the good that we do.
During a mission to the Philippines I examined a 40 year old man with a bi-lateral cleft lip and palate (two splits in his lip and a hole in the roof of his mouth); he was also missing his front teeth. Food and liquid would get up into his nose, he couldn’t speak well and he was embarrassed about his appearance. Mohammed worked as a night janitor.
The plastic surgeons agreed that they could close his cleft lip but there was no way on this mission for them to repair the void in his cleft palate. I made him an obturator with false teeth – much like an orthodontic retainer, an obturator covers the palate.
One week later Mohammed had a repaired smile, a covering over the hole in the roof of his mouth, and new teeth which allowed him to eat and speak normally. When I gave him a mirror to see his new look he smiled wide and said through the interpreter, “Finally, I can get married!”
Mohammed is one reason why I love doing what I do.
