A Beautiful Smile for a Beautiful Girl

Myo was born with a cleft palate. Sometimes, when her mother, Ni Ni, looked at her daughter, she remembered what the midwife said the day Myo was born. “She said my daughter would not survive,” said Ni Ni. “I promised myself that I would do everything I could to save her life. The doctor said she could have surgery when she turned one. So my husband and I decided to save up for the operation.”

Than and Ni Ni work in the rice fields in Myanmar. Ni Ni also weaves mats to sell, so they earn just enough for the basics. "I thought about working as a maid in the city so I could save more for the operation,” Ni Ni explained. “But Myo needed me. She was always sick. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her.” 

Myo’s big sister, Kyaing, helps out when she can.

"It breaks my heart to see her cry,” said Kyaing. “I play with her so she stops crying. Some of our neighbors call her “cleft-cleft girl,” and that upsets me.”  

Then one day, Ni Ni learned about Operation Blessing. The organization paid for Myo to receive surgery to repair her cleft palate. “When she came out of surgery, I was really happy to see her,” said Ni Ni.

And Kyaing was excited to see Myo when she came home from the hospital. “My sister’s lip is so beautiful now,” said Kyaing. “When my friends say, ‘Your sister is so pretty,’ my heart is filled with happiness!”

“Now, Myo is able to eat well,” explained Ni Ni. “She likes looking at herself in the mirror and loves being with her friends. I never thought this day would come, but you made my dreams for Myo come true.”