Bianca’s Story

Bianca was born with a severe form of cleft lip and palate. Her parents said that they learned that their baby would be born with a cleft when her mom was still pregnant and they were shocked. Luckily, Bianca’s grandmother is a doctor and she was able to help the new parents care for their baby girl, especially with feeding. Many infants with cleft have trouble feeding properly and require special bottles and formula.

Bianca’s parents were determined to find the best solution for their sweet daughter and started to look for help immediately after her birth. Cleft care is extremely limited in Ecuador and the hospitals that the family approached were not able to take on a complicated surgical case. They eventually found Global Smile Foundation via Social Media and arranged to meet staff at our Cleft Center, run by Fundaciòn Global Smile-Ecuador at Hospital León Becerra in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Bianca was barely 3 months old when her parents brought her to the Cleft Center and she was too small to undergo surgery. Our staff worked with Bianca’s parents so that their daughter would be able to gain enough weight to undergo surgery six months later during an annual mission. They also explained how some of the most experienced cleft care providers in the world come to Guayaquil every year to provide exactly the kind of care their daughter needed.

The family returned in September 2018 for Bianca’s first surgery to repair her cleft lip. After the procedure, her parents could not believe the transformation for their daughter. Bianca’s mother had tears in her eyes as she tried to find the words to thank the team for this “miracle.” Bianca’s father said that he loves her more than anything and is thankful beyond words for his daughter to have a new life.