Bilal’s Smile is a Prayer

Hael has a large family but no home. As his clan’s sole earner, he wakes up with the sun each day and prays to find enough work to provide his children and wife at least one meal before it sets. When his father told him his newest son, Bilal, was born with a cleft, he reacted the same as he does to all news: “I accepted it as part of God’s plan without hesitation.”

That doesn’t mean he didn’t worry, of course. Everyone did. Another mouth to feed meant Hael would need to work that much harder to give everyone in his family as much as they had before — and harder still because Bilial’s cleft prevented him from eating enough. If his baby needed urgent care, he was ready to do whatever it took to provide it for him. 

Bilal survived infancy, but life only seemed to get harder the older he got. He was even thinner than his siblings. He struggled to breathe and made snoring sounds even while awake. A stream of drool leaked from his mouth constantly; he worked desperately to hold it in but could not, no matter how hard he tried.

He drew stares everywhere he went. Other children mocked him so mercilessly he rarely even tried to play with anyone.

Bilal’s pain was his family’s. They ached for him and for their own helplessness to do anything to stop or even ease his suffering. But still, they never lost faith.

After six years, they finally got an answer to their prayers. It came in the form of a WhatsApp message from a friend of Hael’s: Free cleft surgery was available in a nearby town. He dropped everything and scheduled an appointment.

When Hael saw his son’s smile for the first time, he fell to his knees and wept. The whole family joined him.

The generosity of Smile Train donors has given Bilal, Hael, and their whole family hope for a better future. And affirmed their belief that, sometimes, even the most audacious prayers are answered.

“The outcome of the surgery truly exceeded our expectations, healing the cleft in such a transformative way,” Hael said. “All gratitude and appreciation go to Smile Train for their generosity and support of children worldwide suffering from clefts.”