Born with a severe cleft lip and palate, 8-year-old Amara faced rejection and difficulty eating. A single surgery transformed her life.
"When I first saw Amara, I saw a bright, curious child whose spirit hadn't been broken despite everything she'd been through,"
Amara was born in a small village in Ghana with a severe cleft lip and palate. For the first eight years of her life, she struggled to eat, speak clearly, and faced constant teasing from other children. Her mother, Grace, had taken her to multiple hospitals, but the cost of surgery was far beyond what their family could afford.
When the MolGen team arrived at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Amara was among the first patients screened. The surgical team determined she was an excellent candidate for repair.
"When I first saw Amara, I saw a bright, curious child whose spirit hadn't been broken despite everything she'd been through," recalls Dr. Maria Santos, who performed the surgery. "I knew we could help her."
Photo Gallery
The four-hour surgery to repair both her lip and palate went smoothly. After two weeks of recovery, Amara saw her new smile for the first time.
"She just kept touching her lip and smiling," her mother remembers, tears in her eyes. "She said, 'Mama, I'm beautiful now.' But I told her she was always beautiful."
Today, Amara is thriving in school and dreams of becoming a doctor herself. "I want to help other children like the doctors helped me," she says.
Outcome
Successful cleft lip and palate repair. Amara is now in school and experiencing normal development.
Partner Hospitals
2 hospitals across Africa
