Our Stories

The story of a cleft mother’s bravery, in her own words.

Magaly is the mother of David, age five, a Smile Train patient in Quito, Ecuador. She shared with us her son’s journey to cleft care and what Smile Train has meant for her entire family.

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. 

"For me, it’s always the question of 'What if Smile Train hadn’t been there?'"

Monica has been through more than any child should, but today she shines bright.

For 70 years, Pyari knew little besides rejection and heartbreak, until you gave her hope. And a smile.

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.

When Oscar was born with a cleft, his family found a mission-based organization to provide him with the surgery they could not afford. But when a complication arose, they had already left the country. Thankfully, Smile Train's local partners are always there. 

Wendy was 17, single, and scared. She had just had a baby with a cleft, and any help seemed far, far away from her family's ranch in the remote Andes highlands. But Smile Train was there.