Our Stories

Even knowing help is available isn’t always enough to remove the stigma of having a cleft.

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. 

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

Dr. Echeverri founded FISULAB in the belief that all aspects of cleft care are equal.

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.