A mum feared her son’s cleft lip would hold him back – until she found help from a volunteer medical team.
Sandy and her partner were shocked when their son Dilan was born with a cleft lip.
“I opened my eyes and felt pain, because I had never had a baby like that and neither did my family,” Sandy, a teaching assistant from Guatemala, told Need To Know.
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“I said to the midwife, ‘Ma’am, he has a problem with his lip, doesn’t he?’
“Then they took him away.
“I started crying.
“I spent the whole night wondering why he was born like that.”
Sandy even wondered if she had done something during her pregnancy to cause it.
According to the NHS, a cleft lip or palate happens when the structures that form the upper lip or palate fail to join properly in the womb.
As Dilan grew, he noticed his smile looked different from other children’s.
Sandy said, “There were children who were afraid of him. They stared at him.
“Once, a girl ran away from him because she was afraid and said, ‘Oh, how scary!’
“Witnessing people treat Dilan this way was devastating.
“Out of nowhere, he started to say that a dog did that to him.
“He started to touch his lip and say, A dog.’”
Sandy didn’t correct him because she didn’t want him to think his cleft was his fault.
She was advised about several clinics to fix Dilan’s lip, but felt overwhelmed.
She said, “I’m very fearful about things with doctors.
“I was afraid if they operated on him.
“Who knows how they’re going to treat him or what they’ll do?”
Then her friend Yuri recommended Operation Smile, a volunteer team of medical professionals.
Sandy said, “At first, I was hesitant to trust anyone to care for my son.
“But from the moment I arrived at the Operation Smile site, I felt confident the volunteers would provide Dilan with the safe surgery he deserved.
“They’re very kind.
“They love every baby, and they have shown they love mine.
“I’ve seen kindness.
“It’s beautiful how they put their heart into what they do.”
Despite a few setbacks when Dilan caught colds and fevers, the operation went ahead – and now, at six years old, Dilan has a new smile.
Sandy said, “I’m always going to be grateful to all the people who have helped me because they’ve never left me helpless since our first visit.
“I felt so safe and protected there.
“If I hadn’t found Operation Smile, I don’t know what I would have done.”
Dilan is now a happy, playful boy.
Sandy said, “Everything changed because now the kids don’t stare at him anymore.
“He likes to play ball and loves toy cars.
“To me, it’s amazing to see my son like this.
“This is very joyful for me – I am very happy and grateful.”
Superdrug has also launched a nationwide fundraising campaign to support Operation Smile.
From 10 September to 7 October, shoppers across the UK will be asked if they want to round up their purchase via Pennies, the digital charity box.
A simple ‘yes’ could help raise £100,000 to fund surgery, therapy and ongoing care for children born with cleft conditions.
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