Didn't Cha Know...Elaine's Story

Today's GOOD news is about a little girl who just wanted to have a pretty smile!  This just goes to show how meaningful a smile can be. So don't forget to always share your smile, you never know who may be watching!   :o) ENJOY!!

From Hurtful Nicknames to New Smile: Elaine’s Story

Rio de Janerio, Brazil –Elaine is a quiet and shy 10 year-old- girl from Itaborai, a town three hours from the city of Rio de Janeiro. Elaine was born with a cleft lip.

Since she was two years old, she and her father have made the trip to the cleft service center in Rio de Janerio on four different occasions, but unfortunately she was never selected for surgery. Many times the line was too long, and during one visit Elaine was sick. On their previous trip they discovered the hospital was undergoing renovations. With every visit the wait at the hospital was long, and her hopes for receiving care began to fade. Elaine always asked her mom, why she wasn't able to get surgery. She wanted to be like the other girls. She dreamed of wearing lipstick when she was older. The kids in her town taunted her, calling her all kinds of terrible names like "hole mouth.”

When Elaine’s godmother heard Operation Smile was going to conduct a medical mission in Rio de Janeiro, she tried to talk Elaine’s parents into bringing her to Rio, but they could not afford to make a fifth trip to the city. Moreover, her mother was nine months pregnant. Elaine’s godmother then offered to bring Elaine to Hospital Clementino Fraga Filho, were the mission was taking place.

This time, the trip was worth it. Elaine was selected for surgery and she now has a new smile! She is in the fourth grade, and when she grows up she wants to be a nutritionist.