Elieth’s Irrepressible Smile
“Elieth, your family loves you so much. I’m so proud of you.”
When their newborn choked at her first feeding, Edilma and Luis knew there was no time to spare. Without urgent treatment for her cleft, they feared Elieth would waste away before her life really began.
Edilma twice made the hours-long journey to Panama City in search of care with no luck. Desperate, she tried a third time and found an answer she hadn’t dared dream was possible: There was a solution right in her town.
At their first meeting, Dr. Julio Gonzalez and the team at Smile Train partner Clínica Hospital Jesús Nazareno laid out a plan to help Elieth gain weight and receive the cleft surgeries and other care she so desperately needed at the best possible time. And, because his hospital is a Smile Train partner, Dr. Julio reassured them that every cleft treatment their baby ever needed would be 100% free.
Edilma and Luis were ecstatic at the news, but when the day came for Elieth’s first surgery, their joy turned to anxiety. Reading the fear on their faces, Dr. Julio and his team stayed by their side, soothing their nerves, until Elieth was wheeled out and they could see it for themselves: The procedure went flawlessly.
Two years later, Elieth needed a second surgery, to heal her cleft palate. This time, Edilma stood by Elieth in the operating room, holding her tiny hand as the anesthesia took effect, praying for a successful surgery. Again, the surgery was a complete success.
“I thank Dr. Julio and Smile Train,” says Edilma. “If it hadn’t been for them, I don’t know if Elieth would have received treatment.”
Today, Elieth is a joyful three-year-old who loves her older brothers more than anything in the world. She likes to play hide and seek, kick her tiny soccer ball around with her family, and watch videos online.
“She gets jealous,” Edilma shares. “She doesn’t like when people she doesn’t know get near her brothers. She starts to cry.”
Elieth is currently enrolled in speech therapy as part of the comprehensive, ongoing cleft care Smile Train makes possible for our patients. Edilma and Luis marvel at how far she has come in her healing journey.
“Elieth, your family loves you so much,” Edilma says. “I’m so proud of you. Right now, you’re just a little girl, but one day you will understand.”
Your contributions make high-quality, life-changing cleft care available for children like Elieth all over the world.
