Adriana’s Smile Shines Brightest

Temperatures run warm year-round in San José del Cabo, a beachfront paradise on the southern tip of Baja California Sur in Mexico. But not even the tropical sun can outshine Adriana, a bright, happy 13-year-old and proud member of our global Smile Train community.

For most of her young life, Adriana lacked a local, high-quality option for cleft treatment. That changed in 2022, when Smile Train helped establish Programa Labio y Paladar Hendido de BCS at the Los Cabos Children’s Foundation. Now, her parents have the comfort of knowing that their daughter can access safe, comprehensive cleft care right in their own community.

Adriana’s story speaks to the impact of Smile Train’s “teach a person to fish model.” In more than 75 countries around the world, we prioritize building sustainable cleft care infrastructure that empowers local medical professionals and reaches patients who were previously out of reach.

In Adriana’s case, she not only found healing in her cleft journey — she found inspiration:

“When I grow up, I want to be a doctor. In fact, I decided to be a doctor because I want to help more children like me get cleft surgery and treatment.”