“From the bottom of my heart I would like to say thank you for making my daughter Jinden a very beautiful girl. This is the most wonderful gift I’ve ever had.” – Eden Rose

Eden Rose and Eugene’s excitement at the birth of their first child turned to despair when their daughter, Jinden, was born with a cleft lip. Both parents had seen people with cleft conditions through their work in the fish industry in Negros Occidental, Philippines, but never imagined that it would happen to their child.

The new parents turned to each other for comfort and looked for support from their parents and the hospital staff. The nurses at the hospital were able to give them some hope by telling them that surgery was possible for their daughter and that they should check regularly with their local health center for news of a medical team coming to the area to help children like Jinden.

Eden Rose contacted several organizations before learning about Operation Smile from a local community leader. After months of checking regularly, she finally saw the dates for an upcoming medical program in Silay. Finally the wait was over and the family traveled, nervous but excited, to the hospital in Silay. They became more nervous when they saw so many other families with the same condition as Jinden.

After Jinden received a healthcare assessment from Operation Smile medical volunteers, Eden Rose wanted to wait until the surgical schedule was posted, but nearly 2-year-old Jinden was tired and crying, so they returned home to wait for what they hoped would be good news. On Monday the call came – Jinden’s surgery was scheduled for Wednesday.

Eden Rose was so excited that she could not sleep on Tuesday night. Everyone on the Operation Smile medical team fell in love with beautiful Jinden, and soon after the surgery to repair her cleft lip, she was back in her mother’s loving arms. After 24 hours in the hospital, Jinden and her doting parents were ready to return home to start a new life.

Before leaving the hospital, however, Eden Rose approached each of the doctors, nurses, and volunteers who cared for her precious daughter to thank them and presented a beautiful letter of thanks, which read:

This Mother’s Day weekend, we would like to thank the mothers across the world for their endless love and devotion. We’d also like to thank the donors, volunteers and staff who make this work possible.

“Love by definition is self-sacrifice. Love is a decision to make someone else’s problem your own.” – Dr. Bill Magee, Operation Smile Co-founder.