Opening a New Chapter of Happiness – Arpan’s Journey from Cleft to Smile

Arpan was a 2-year-old boy when he came to our free surgery mission at Isha Hospital, Vadodara, on 23rd Jan 2018. His native village was 67 KMs away from Isha Hospital. Hailing from a farming community the family had a monthly income of just 4000 INR. The poor parents couldn’t afford proper treatment for their little son Arpan. While speaking to our volunteers, his mother informed us that she has big dreams for Arpan, her second born. She wants her son to grow up to be an engineer someday! The mother always tried hard to make her little boy spell words correctly. On being asked whether she/ her family had to face trouble due to her son’s cleft deformity, she was in tears. She told us, “my son has got the most beautiful eyes, and I cannot tolerate the pain of humiliation society has thrown upon my little child.”

Both the parents had just primary education and had no knowledge about cleft deformities. No one in their family ever had a cleft lip or cleft palate deformities. Naturally, the parents were scared and sad. Also, they found themselves in a hopeless condition. Arpan’s treatment was a distant dream for the parents.

It was nothing short of a miracle that just 3-4 days before Vadodara Mission, the parents came to know about our free surgery mission through miking conducted in their neighbourhood. Our team asked the parents to bring Arpan in.

After receiving his cleft rectification surgery, Arpan smiled appropriately for the first time! Although his parent’s dream of him becoming an engineer remains a wish, for the time being, their foremost concern of healing little Arpan out of his misery is finally over.

Arpan’s parents could only stare at his face post-surgery. It was full of emotions. On asking his parents about his transformed look, they called Arpan’s transformation a miracle. To them, it is an act of blessing from the almighty and they thanked us from the bottom of their hearts.

However, Arpan will have to undergo post-operative check-ups for complete recovery. Hence, we will provide him follow up care as a part of our comprehensive cleft care offering.

We wish that the gift of ‘smile’ will give Arpan a better life free from taunts and humiliations. He will be free from fumbling words and facing other difficulties of the cleft. This will help him grow into a confident person and lead a social life.

A little act of kindness can bloom precious smiles on the lips of children like Arpan. That’s where we need YOUR HELP. Donate to help them experience the brighter side of life.

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