San Juan Sacatepéquez, Guatemala -- Fran Cunniffe, ReSurge associate director, medical education & outreach
Romulo is a nine year old boy from Uspantán, Guatemala with a very wide bilateral cleft lip and palate. Although his town is only about 4 hours from Guatemala City, he did not have access to cleft lip surgery when he was younger. His family does not speak Spanish, and they would never have ventured to the hospital on their own, for fear of being charged or not understanding what the doctors told them. Partner for Surgery, our in-country partner organization, works with a network of health promoters who speak Mayan languages and help underserved families and communities advocate for their own health rights. Romulo and his family got to know and trust their local health promoter, who told them about ReSurge’s surgical trip to Guatemala to provide free surgery to those who needed it. Although his mother was very hesitant, she listened to Romulo’s constant pleas and decided to bring him to us.
When we met him on clinic day, Romulo had the biggest, most enthusiastic smile (pictured left). When we asked him if he had any questions, he only wanted to know if we would schedule him for surgery because he wanted his lip fixed so badly. As an older child, he understood just how important this surgery was. It could truly change the course of his life. Our surgeons repaired his cleft lip and when his mother saw him for the first time, she couldn’t believe how different he looked after just two hours in the operating room. His father had tears in his eyes. Romulo and his family are so grateful that he now has the opportunity to live a more normal life.