![Saber being held by his father after his Smile Train cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-09/saber-after-free-smile-train-cleft-surgery-egypt.jpg?itok=pdWio38F)
Saber’s Cleft Journey, in His Parents’ Words
![Smile Train patient Demaris from Kenya holds a picture of herself before her free cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-07/damaris-holding-photo-before-free-smile-train-cleft-lip-cleft-palate-surgery-kenya.jpg?itok=g5glTJIO)
Determined Damaris
Even when the whole world seemed against her, Damaris persisted. And won.
![Oscar holding a picture of himself before free Smile Train cleft lip and plate surgery in Zambia.](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-04/oscar-after-free-cleft-surgery-holding-before-picture-zambia.jpg?itok=u-8JmCUs)
Oscar is a Gift
How a mother found the strength to raise eight boys on her own and a son found the strength to smile.
![A school-aged Meng with her mother after cleft lip and cleft palate surgery in Cambodia](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-03/meng-with-mother-after-cleft-lip-palate-surgery-cambodia.jpg?itok=iVVNLX0x)
A Daughter's Cleft; a Mother's Journey
A mother’s account of her child’s journey to cleft care in her own words.
![Cristian holds one of his dogs](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-01/cristiang-w-dog.jpg?itok=S7mAGUVV)
Healing Heartbreak with a Smile (Dogs Help, Too)
Angelica was 15 years old, single, and had just given birth to a baby with a cleft. All she knew about clefts was how she had seen people with them harassed without mercy. But she promised to never give up on the little life before her.
![Samson's mom hold an image of Samson before cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/samson-holding-before.jpg?itok=QB0FEtXr)
Baby Samson’s Superhuman Strength
Aunt Rebecca did not trust that her sister would provide Samson with the special care he needed. So, she brought him back to the place he was born, the tiny-two room house he now shared with 13 relatives, all female.
![Monica holding an image of herself as a child](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-01/monica-holding-before-image-super.jpg?itok=ga-5c3ew)
Monica’s Inner Strength Shows in Her Smile
Monica has been through more than any child should, but today she shines bright.
![Sel holds his before surgery image](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-01/sel-holding-before-super.jpg?itok=c-aNVmt3)
Sel’s Family Refused To Leave Him Behind
Soan worried her son would be discriminated against his entire life.
![Maria before her cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-01/maria-before-surgery-super.jpg?itok=cIdu5sXn)
It’s Never Too Late to Dream
Maria has been waiting for cleft surgery since 1953. When the opportunity came, her son wanted her to pass.
![Teenager Maria holds an image of herself as a baby before her cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/maria-holds-baby-image.jpg?itok=Ce_ZviBj)
With Maria Every Step of the Way
Stella breastfed her seven other children without problems, but Maria’s clefts caused the milk to come out of her nose and made her choke.
![Habeeba's family holds image of her before cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/habeeba-family-hold-before-image.jpg?itok=wIzXMn7A)
A Father In Disbelief
When Habeeba was born, the doctor gasped and told her mother, Ahlam, he’d never seen a baby like her before.