Discovering His Voice, And Using It to Express Love

A cleft lip condition made Reginaldo extremely shy, and was one of the reasons he felt more comfortable being alone. A few years ago, through a partnership with the municipality of Las Cruces in northern Petén, Operation Smile connected with him in a rural region where many families face long journeys to reach care or may not even know that surgery is an option.

Local partnerships like this help identify patients in communities far from medical centers and bring essential care closer to home, giving families hope and support where it’s needed most. At the age of 21, not only did he receive a medical milestone — surgery to treat his cleft lip — but it also marked the first time he had traveled outside of his community.

Many patients with cleft conditions, like Reginaldo, face isolation and long journeys to access care, but it’s never too late to receive care. Petén is one of the regions in Guatemala where we are seeing Operation 100 come to life, expanding care to remote regions by training of surgical teams and allied health professionals.

Training local healthcare providers to serve their communities benefits everyone, not just patients with cleft conditions, by bringing care closer to home for those who need it most. The Petén Regional Hospital near where Reginaldo lives also provides year-round access to comprehensive care including speech therapy, nutrition, support, psychosocial, and dental care.

Today, Reginaldo is not only making his voice heard, but he is also using it to ask the girl he loves to marry him. Smiling while thinking about the wedding plans, his scar is more than a mark on his lip; it’s proof that he is ready to be seen.