Mother’s Day: 12 May
Choose a unique and meaningful way to honour your mom (or her memory)
When you make a donation to Operation Smile in your mother’s name, your gift lasts long after Mother’s Day is over
Helping to give a child with a cleft lip or palate a brand new smile is a wonderful way to celebrate your own mother’s unconditional love. And give her the joy of supporting another mother who desperately hopes for a better life for her child.
Because it’s heartbreaking when your child needs something you can’t provide.
Before her baby was born, Khanyisa had never even heard of cleft lip or palate. You can imagine her shock when she saw her newborn daughter for the first time.
But in Tsolo, Eastern Cape, where the family lives, medical resources are limited. There was nothing more the local hospital or clinic could do for the child. And even if the family could have made the trip to Cape Town, how on earth would they be able to afford expensive plastic surgery?
Then, several months later, Khanyisa heard that our Operation Smile Surgical Programme was coming to Mthatha, just over 40km away from her home!
With hope in her heart, she brought little Ayamnkela to the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital to find out if we could help.
Ayamnkela had her surgery in October 2022, and when her father first saw her after the operation, he could not believe it was his daughter. She looked so different … just like all the other babies in the community.
Up until that moment, he had not allowed himself to hope that this was possible. As for Khanyisa, she was overjoyed and cannot thank the Operation Smile team enough.
Please spread this heartwarming message of hope by helping another mother’s dreams for her child come true.
Make a donation in honour of your own mom, and we’ll email her this card to let her know of your thoughtful gift.
