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THE PROBLEM
Children in Latin America are three times more likely to be born with a cleft lip or palate than those in the United States.
A cleft lip drastically alters a person’s facial features and a
cleft palate makes speech nasal and hard to understand. These facial deformities make it extremely di cult for a child to t into their community. Many of these children feel embarrassed and self-conscious, which can impair their ability to socialize and can limit their participation in school activities.
There is good news, though. Correcting these deformities is possible with access to the right team of specialists. In addition to surgery to repair the lip and palate, the child may need:
• Speechtherapy
• Nutritionalcounseling
• Bonegraftingtocorrectmissingboneinthemaxilla
(upper jaw)
• Braces
• Dentalimplantstoreplaceunformedormissingteeth
• Correctivesurgeryforthenose
A SOLUTION
For more than 20 years, Florida Hospital’s Sharing Smiles charity, based in Orlando, has been delivering hope and healing to children with cleft lips and cleft palates in developing countries. Sharing Smiles does all of this, in partnership with the host country’s health care providers and civic leaders, by delivering high-quality health care and education to individuals who would otherwise not have access to the specialists needed for a successful outcome. The program enables kids to do what kids do best—Smile!
USAP AND SHARING SMILES
USAP physicians and CRNAs regularly “give back” in their local communities and far a eld, wherever the need exists. In partnership with Florida Hospital, USAP’s Dr. Chris Dobson leads the charge from an anesthesiology perspective. His passion for the program and for bringing smiles to children near and far fuels excitement for this program throughout USAP. This year, Drs. Kary Van Allen (FL), David Elkins (TX) and Filip Trojanowski (CO) will join the Orlando-based team of Drs. Chris Dobson and Je ery King and CRNAs Todd Boicourt and Melanie Farley on cleft trips to:
• Cochabamba,Bolivia • Merida,Mexico
• Villahermosa,Mexico • Tarapoto,Peru
THEIR EFFORTS HELPED TO
PUT NEW SMILES ON MORE THAN 600 CHILDREN’S FACES IN 2016.
“Florida Hospital’s Sharing Smiles program is one of the most endearing programs I have had the pleasure of volunteering with. It’s highly organized. We travel well outside the normal touristy places to help the children and families of those who need it most,” says Dr. Dobson. “Once you experience the change that happens right in front of you—from the child who wouldn’t smile, or couldn’t smile, to one who beams, you can’t help but want to help them all. This is the most rewarding work I’ve ever done.”
One of the best parts of the Sharing Smiles program is that
it isn’t “one and done.” The program is set up to train local providers on the procedures, from anesthesia to the actual cleft surgery. Donations to the program include funds to provide all the necessary equipment for this work to continue on in these communities with local medical providers. This sustainability
is changing lives, just as the surgeries change the lives of each patient and their loved ones. ■
ISSUE ONE | CONNECTED
LEARN MORE, GET INVOLVED
Care enough to share a smile! Learn more about Florida Hospital Sharing Smiles at FHSharingSmiles.com