Milestones and Memories

LWR had a “celebration” tour of sorts in celebrating the milestone 10 years in Chattanooga, TN and also in Elmont, New York! We could be coming to a city near you, keep your eyes peeled!

One of the featured young men during these events was young Harsha and his mother, Bharathi. Her story brought so many memories to my mind, that I became overwhelmed during the interview. Bharathi was 24 years old when her son with a cleft lip and palate was born. She talked about the loneliness and grief in caring for her son, in the midst of the questions for his future. Her husband could not bear to see Harsha, and left the family. Bharathi had no family locally that could help her with her children.

She was definitely an example of a strong mother who fought fiercely for her child. She was the best advocate for him. She found a way to get both cleft lip and eventually cleft palate repaired with LWR. She nurtured Harsha and followed Dr. Sathish’s instructions to ensure the best outcome for her son.

In this month when mothers are celebrated, LWR honors mothers like Bharathi who inspire and encourage us to continue the fight, in spite of the obstacles. Keep pressing on,

Until The World Is Cleft-Free!

Inaugural Mission to KENYA!

As I was searching for the final numbers and data collected from the recent mission to Kenya, I could not find any updates on the website. It has been such a busy few weeks since we returned from Kenya, that I did not even blog about it!

Thirty-one members made up this team to Kenya. Surgeons, anesthesiologists, pediatric intensivists, administration and IT support, pastors, businessmen and women, support staff from Vietnam, India, Zimbabwe and the USA gathered in Kenya to make an impact that would last an eternity!

Seventy-seven patients along with their family members were all counseled on the evil of human trafficking. Awareness and education is the number one way to prevent this crime. We can only know the problem once it is identified and explained. Many of the parents who came to the camp never even heard the term exploitation or human trafficking.

Because of the partnership with Anointed of God ministries, Nakuru Level 5 Hospital and other leaders of this community, areas of Kenya will be educated on human trafficking. There were 41 patients who were deemed healthy enough for surgery. Of those 14 were females and 27 were male. Eight of those young ladies were under age 18, and six were adults. Of our young men, 23 were under age 18, and 4 were adults males.

There is of course a list of patients remaining who were sick, or malnourished or too young for surgery. A five-day-old newborn girl named Esther captured all our hearts. Her mother seemed to be in denial, but her grandmother was strong and capable. Keep this precious family in your thoughts. LWR gave them Dr. Brown’s specialized feeding bottles and accessories, and Philip shared with them the need to love and nurture that baby, so that she would be strong and ready for surgery when the time came.

Sometimes the work is hard and heartbreaking, but always the work is reward. Let’s continue the work,

Until the World is Cleft-Free!

Craniofacial Acceptance Month

September is Craniofacial Acceptance Month, and I asked Philip what that meant to him. His response was that everyone deserves respect and dignity, no matter what they look like. It isn’t easy to walk around with a facial birth defect, with scars on your face, or with prosthetics on your face. How many people do that on a daily basis all over the world?

They face rejection. It may start at home, or at school, with rejection from family members, rejection from peers. The consistency of rejection is humiliating and degrading, especially to the soul of an individual.

I remember a young man named Ernest that we met in Zimbabwe. He was born with a cleft lip, and his village named him “split lip.” Imagine being called Split Lip for sixteen years of your life. “Split Lip, go gather the firewood. Split Lip come to the chalkboard and solve this problem.”

Ernest never deserved to be degraded. He deserves acceptance and love, just as every single individual on earth.

I hope that you will also stand up and be a voice for these children, who do not have a voice. Another opportunity that you have to support them is at the 5Krun4love on Saturday, September 8, 2018. Register today at www.5krun4love.com!! Let’s work together to share love and acceptance for each child born with facial birth defects.

A Look Back and Celebration of 10 years

It was on Friday, August 8, 2008 that Santhosh, Philip and I made our way to the Children’s Hospital for Philip’s simple flap repair. This would be a 45-minute same day surgery, and we would be discharged home later in the afternoon.

But in that span of time, Philip’s airway closed, and emergency resuscitative measures were taken. He was placed on a ventilator and sent to the PICU, as we waited outside with terrified hearts.

It seems a lifetime ago, but I remember it like yesterday. The tears, the anguish, the unknowns and the questions. I would never wish this on anyone. However, as I counsel parents during the LWR missions, inevitably these memories will come back to mind.

Every successful surgery is a miracle. These are risky children to operate on. But as our lead anesthesiologist said, “If we do not operate on this child, then who will? How long will they have to wait for another mission team to come?”

As we reflect on the miracle of Philip’s life over the past ten years, we cannot help thank God for each breath each day of life. He had multiple surgeries after that one in 2008, but with each, God gave him life and a swift recovery.

With every surgery, every heartache, and every bit of happiness the focus does not shift for Philip. His words continue to be, “We will work, until the world is cleft-free!”

Thank you for your support and for believing in this vision!