OPERATION SMILE (25TH YEAR WORLD JOURNEY OF SMILE)

Dickson R. Miciano, RN

“My mouth is broken, but it’s my heart that hurts. Will it ever heal? Someday…?” These are probably the words that are in the minds of less fortunate children with facial deformities like cleft lip and cleft palate who cannot afford a surgery in third world countries like ours.

I had a great time when I joined the Operation Smile mission (my first mission) last February 2007 in Cebu. So, when Operation Smile Philippines informed me of the scheduled missions last November 2007 and February 2008, I did not hesitate to say yes. While it is true that it is hard to leave your family and work for over a week, it is very much fulfilling to extend your help to less fortunate people without expecting anything in return but to see the joyful reactions of children and their families after each surgery.

It is truly a privilege and a wonderful opportunity to be associated with a team of Operation Smile International volunteers using their precious time, knowledge and skills whose purpose is to create smiles, improves / changes lives and heals humanity.

Today, thousands of children with facial deformities had benefited from Operation Smile which was founded by Dr. Bill Magee on 1982 in Naga, Philippines.

THANK YOU Operation Smile for giving us and ORNAP the chance to be a part of your “WORLD JOURNEY of SMILES”