Elias was born with a severe cleft lip and palate that presents many challenges, including malnutrition due to feeding difficulties, increased instances of respiratory illness, and social isolation for the family due to society’s reaction to a facial difference.
During our April 2023 outreach program, GSF’s expert medical volunteers were able to provide complex reconstructive surgery to address Elias’s severe cleft. Many organizations are unfamiliar with this type of cleft, but GSF has pioneered a technique for outreach programs that combines four procedures simultaneously.Just 7 months after his surgery, Elias is thriving with a healthy, happy smile!
Cleft care improves a child’s physical and mental health, removes the stigma of a facial difference, and gives them and their families hope for a brighter future.
Providing much-needed care to children born with cleft is possible
