Campaign Story

Dear Friends and Family,

Together with Mission Smile Charitable Trust in India, we are raising funds to support one of their upcoming medical missions in Puducherry, India. During this mission, we will be providing free life changing cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries to those who cannot access much needed surgical care. Additionally, my mother and I will be attending as volunteers to offer our support to doctors and staff. We hope to share our personal story with those families affected so they can see that a normal and fulfilling life is possible.

As a child born with cleft lip and cleft palate, I was fortunate to have had access to excellent medical/surgical care by some of the country’s best pediatric reconstructive surgeons. But the other important part of my story is my parents’ unwavering involvement. From the beginning, this came as a devastating surprise to my parents. My mother was immediately faced with such questions as, “Why him?” and “Will my son have a normal life?” With the support of medical staff, they were reassured that this could be corrected and I could go on to lead a regular healthy life. That awareness and confidence fueled my parents’ tireless pursuit to ensure the best possible outcome for me.

Unlike myself, many children in underdeveloped communities around the world are not as fortunate. Additionally, parents are alone while facing questions about the impact cleft lip and cleft palate will have on their child’s life. Many of these parents are unaware of the medical treatments/procedures available or simply don’t have the resources to access them.

This is where the volunteers of Mission Smile play a crucial role. Mission Smile’s goal is not only to provide free surgeries to cleft patients, but also to provide educational outreach and comprehensive care (before and after surgeries).

In order to achieve this goal, we are kindly asking for your financial support to help fund the Puducherry Mission.

Your donations will directly fund the following:

• Patient food and shelter
• Pre/Post operative care and medicines
• Hospitalization costs
• Surgery for cleft lip and/or cleft palate

With Great Appreciation,

Saumil and Varsha