Gifting Israd the Smile She Deserved

The five-year old’s battle with a cleft wasn’t an easy one!

Giving Israd Banu the smile she deserved was a beautiful experience for the entire team of Mission Smile at Siliguri. We came to know about the hardships the child and her family had to face in the past years. We got the information from our program coordinator Subhankar Saha who interviewed her.

Unaware of cleft, Israd’s parents were shocked to find their baby with such a deformity. Her mother narrated about her experience when she saw her baby for the first time. The joy immediately turned into grief. Also, the fear about the future of the child started troubling her parents. They were clueless and thought that cleft cannot be treated. Eventually, they came to know about cleft surgeries from a camp that took place near their house.

The family had a meagre monthly income of Rupees Six Thousand.  It was impossible for the family to bear the hefty expenses of a cleft surgery at other hospitals. However, they came to know about our Siliguri Surgical Camp at Kejriwal Stone Clinic & Kidney Care Centre through an advertisement. Here they found a ray of hope for their little Israd.  They decided to get the treatment for their daughter at our camp after counselling with our coordinator. Like other beneficiaries who received free cleft surgery at the Surgical Camp in Siliguri, Israd too received corrective cleft surgery free of cost. Apart from this, Mission Smile bore the expenses of travelling, accommodation and food of Israd and her parents.

It was not just a cleft lip surgery.  It was however a transformation that gifted her with a lifelong ‘smile’. Post-operation, when her parents saw Israd, there were tears of happiness in their eyes. It was evident from their expression that they have finally overcome their sad times.  In fact they were ready to embrace life with all its happiness!

Israd’s mother said, “My daughter is a little fighter who was battling with the difficulties of cleft since her birth. Now today she is born again with a new smile!” Her parents thanked us from the bottom of their heart saying that Mission Smile made this miracle happen in their lives.

It gives us immense pleasure in watching these little ones smile with the upbeat spirit of a normal life. Nothing compares to the satisfaction we experience.  We too feel immensely happy to see the happy faces that overcome the challenges of cleft lip and cleft palate. Mission Smile acknowledges the contributions and cooperation we received from the donors, doctors, volunteers, associates and partners towards this noble cause. We pledge to work even harder towards our dream of making a ‘Cleft-Free’ India.

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