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After surgery, Tereza embraces her newfound happiness, but the pain of living 35 years with an unrepaired cleft condition isn’t something she’ll forget.
As a child, Tereza faced torment because of how she looked. As she grew to adulthood, the bullying only intensified.
Some people from her community told her that she was only “half a person” and that she had nothing to contribute to village life.
Despite her dream of one day being accepted by those around her, the harassment caused Tereza to abandon her schooling and forced her to become completely ostracized from her village.
Although there were three people also born with cleft conditions in her community, Tereza's decision to distance herself from her village also meant separating herself from the only three people who could understood the pain she was facing.
During a seemingly normal day, one of the people living with a cleft lip left to attend an Operation Smile medical mission in 2014.
Without enough money to afford the bus fare that would take her to Lilongwe, Tereza was forced to watch as the bus drove away.
But upon seeing them return with a new smile, Tereza was motivated. And she refused to let anything get in her way of attending the next mission.
Her opportunity came after she contacted Operation Smile Malawi, which arranged free transportation to the upcoming mission, eliminating the obstacle that stood in her way a year before.
Her perseverance paid off, and Tereza was taking the first step in her journey toward ending the painful harassment that had become all too familiar.
Although there were others in her community living with cleft conditions, Tereza believed that they were the only ones.
But after arriving at the mission site, Tereza was shocked to see so many others who looked like her.
For the first time in her life, Tereza felt like she was no longer alone.
It's estimated that, worldwide, a child is born every three minutes with a cleft, which is about one in every 500 to 750 births.
We’re working to discover the causes of cleft through research and putting our evidence into action to prevent cleft conditions before they develop in the womb.
Tereza was amazed by the compassionate volunteers who were donating their time and expertise to patients and their families affected by cleft conditions – a sharp contrast to how she was treated in her community.
Globally, Operation Smile has improved the health and dignity of more than 300,000 patients living with cleft conditions, helping them to breathe, eat, speak and live a better quality of life with greater confidence.
In Malawi, our team is working to address the backlog of people like Tereza who have been unable to access the surgery they need.
For the first time in 35 years, Tereza was among people who would accept her for who she was, and she didn’t have to worry about what they'd say when they saw her cleft lip.
She found peace in the hectic environment of health assessments and pre-surgical appointments and was comforted by the fact that she was surrounded by kind people who understood what she was going through.
Tereza was overcome with happiness and relief when medical volunteers placed her on the schedule to receive her free surgery.
“When I have my surgery, it will be like I'm born again,” Tereza said. “I will be a new person.”
While looking at her photo taken before surgery, Tereza admitted that she wasn’t happy. Living with an unrepaired cleft had taken a toll on her self-esteem and confidence.
Now, her life is very different.
“I am living a free life,” Tereza happily explained.
Since her successful surgery, Tereza has returned home and become part of her community again.
She loves engaging with others because she no longer fears being ridiculed.
Tereza feels excited to have had the opportunity to receive her life-changing surgery and plans to educate her community about cleft and Operation Smile's life-changing work with hopes of preventing anyone else from experiencing the pain and loneliness she endured.
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