Provide anesthesia for patients undergoing surgeries for cleft lip and palates. This will make a huge difference in their quality of life by helping them eat better and improving their self esteem. The Austin Plastic Surgery Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide sustainable surgical and post-surgical care to children born with cleft lip and cleft palate both in Central Texas and Latin America.
The community of El Salvador and the patients and families that have been suffering from this defect. Children with cleft lip and palate often face one or more health and developmental complications without proper treatment. These complications include difficulties in feeding, speech, breathing, and hearing as well as compromised oral health and frequent ear infections. Austin Smiles believes every child born with a cleft lip or palate deserves access to life-changing care.
Expected impact is huge for this population. This is a surgery easily accessible in America and this will be giving them the same opportunity. One in seven hundred babies are born with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate, which is an incomplete closure of the upper lip and/or roof of the mouth. A cleft condition causes a gap to occur in the affected area, often involving the skin, muscle, bone, and lining of the mouth. A cleft lip and/or palate can be unilateral, involving only one side of the mouth, or bilateral, involving both sides. A cleft lip often occurs in conjunction with a cleft palate; however, this is not always the case.
This trip was an amazing experience which truly changed the lives of so many people. It gave hope and joy to kids, parents and families alike. It took kids that were being bullied for looking different and talking different to feeling like they had a chance again. It gave parents joy in seeing their babies taken care of. The whole community really rallied around these families and supported them. The hospital was so supportive and caring for us and our mission. I cannot wait to go again and help more people in the future.
