From Fear to Joy

Cindy and Tulio were devastated when they saw that their first child, Gael, had been born with a cleft lip. “I cried because I had never seen anything like this,” Tulio told us, his eyes filled with tears.  

“Every time I looked at him, I wanted to cry,” added an emotional Cindy. “I didn't want anyone to see him. I didn't want to show his condition, even to my family, because I felt they would make fun of him.”  

The couple tried saving money to pay for the surgery to repair the cleft lip, but Tulio earns only $240 dollars a month working on a farm. That barely covers the cost of food and rent.  
 
“We tried to save by eating less,” Tulio recalled. “I worked extra hours because all we could think about was helping him. I went to work thinking about my son. I said to myself, 'I will work until I see him get the surgery he needs!'” 
  
And baby Gael was struggling to drink his formula. “I cried when I saw the milk falling out from his mouth,” recalled Cindy. “I tried to get him to eat but I noticed that he wasn't getting full. Then he cried more. I didn't know what to do. I thought my son could die from not getting enough to drink,” she added, tears falling from her eyes.   
 
Tulio and Cindy live in a small village in Honduras. They also had to endure the ridicule of their neighbors. “People said that my baby was going to be ugly, that his teeth were going to fall out,” said Tulio. “I got upset. I looked at him and said ‘Someday you will have an operation.’"  
 
One day during a doctor visit a nurse introduced them to Operation Blessing. “I was very excited when they told me that my son's operation was approved. That day was wonderful!” declared Tulio with a smile. 
  
We quickly arranged for Gael to receive free surgery to repair his lip. The operation was successful. “I feel such emotion because my son received his operation! We feel good thanks to the people who came to help us,” he said. 

“We are so very grateful to Operation Blessing because of how they helped us. Without them we would never have been able to do this,” added Cindy. “I am a happy mother thanks to you!”