Brooke Hogan

I heard numerous stories and “helpful hints” before embarking on my medical mission to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I was told that I would fall in love with a little boy or girl; but I found myself falling in love numerous times a day as each patient arrived at the hospital.

I was told that I needed to be protective of the toys the Student Team brought; but how could I deny any adorable, less fortunate child something so little to me but important to them? I was told that my mission would change my life; but I believe that the word "change" is an understatement.

Everything I expected before arriving was surpassed with each new day. On the first day of screening, my mission partner and I were nervous about what we would see, how we would communicate, and even about presenting our lessons.

Yet, everything during the screening days went extremely well and we soon found ourselves leaving Hospital Municipal Nossa Senhora do Loreto for our weekend off. We were excited to explore Rio de Janeiro with the team, but we were restless about what kids would be chosen for surgery and anxious to return to the hospital the next week to see them.

Before we knew it, though, we were loading the buses at 6:30 a.m. on Monday with the eager, eighty-person medical team. We seemed like an invincible team prepared for anything. Nevertheless, within the first few hours I found myself staring into my mission partner’s eyes as we both attempted to fight back the tears.

A mother had just brought her son into the surgery room and the psychologists were holding her up as she worriedly cried, shook, and became weak at the knees. We both knew that this would not be the last time we would see a mother like this and we needed to get used to it. Every parent reacted differently, but my heart strings were pulled every time I saw one pacing, waiting alone in the corner, or crying to the other understanding mothers. I just wanted to hug them and tell them that everything was going to be okay.

There was one mother and her son who I know I will never forget. Her son was reserved for the last surgery table that day and with each passing hour he became more anxious and hungry. He was the little boy who asked me if he could keep one of our plastic toy lions because he never had a toy like it before. When I gave him the toy, I had never seen such a happy child in my life.

As I saw him begin to cry and shake before surgery, I wanted to re-give him the lion so that I could see the happiness in his eyes again. Unfortunately, I knew that a toy could not make him smile and his own mother, who was lying down with him and stroking his hair, could not even calm him down.

The next time I saw the mother, she told me that she was so thankful that fortunate people were helping people like her who could not afford anything. She was thankful for Operation Smile for changing her son’s life. At that point, I was once again reminded of the positive impact that Operation Smile and I could have on people’s lives.

On the last day of surgery, I left the hospital wondering where the week had gone. A week dedicated to changing people’s lives had been one of the bests of my life. I had first handedly seen the effects that Operation Smile has on hundreds of people per mission.

I had formed friendships with the Operation Smile Coordinator from Brazil, the Nurse from California, and even the Psychologist from Argentina. Over the week, our team of eighty people shared a close bond as we all had one thing in common: the goal of Operation Smile.

Through our persistence, passion, and love, we changed over 90 people’s lives through over 120 surgeries. Seeing each child’s smile after their surgery was the highlight of my mission. Knowing that Operation Smile changed their life forever remains forever priceless.