Gracee's Story: Patient to Nurse
![Gracee in mask and scrubs](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2__720x480/public/2021-02/gracee-smile-train-nurse.jpg?itok=eu0E1Uiu)
Gracee was born with a cleft lip and palate in the Philippines and she was incessantly bullied growing up. "When I was a child, I was upset when other children used to bully me - my friends and mother would tell me to ignore what they were saying, but I would usually just isolate myself or cry," she said.
The bullying finally stopped when Gracee received a Smile Train-sponsored cleft surgery.
![Gracee working at a nurse station](/sites/default/files/2021-02/gracee-at-desk.jpg)
Today, Gracee is a confident and happy woman, dedicated to serving others as a perioperative nurse at a local Smile Train partner hospital. Gracee is proud to have a career helping the children who have the same problem she once had.
When asked what advice she has for children living with untreated clefts, she responds: “As hard as it may be, don’t listen to those who bully you – if you were born with a cleft, you can still do something good with your life.”
![Nurse Gracee in surgical theater](/sites/default/files/2021-02/gracee-in-or.jpg)
Help us provide new smiles and second chances at life to children just like Gracee in 70+ countries.