Jay-ann, from Surigao Del Sur, knows how much it would cost her family if she sends Princess, her daughter, for cleft lip surgery. But she is also aware of the health risk if she won’t do something. When she heard about the free surgical mission held in May 2017 in General Santos City, about nine hours away from her home, she brought her daughter without hesitation to avail such rare opportunity. Surely, Operation Cherryfic Smile brought a lifetime impact in the life of her child. Jay-ann is just among the mothers and guardians of children with cleft lip and cleft palate who flocked in General Santos to benefit from the free surgical mission. The mission was also organized in Lingayen, Pangasinan, in May 2017, and in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, in November.
Cherry Mobile and Operation Smile Philippines continued their partnership to organize Cherryfic Smile, a free surgical mission for indigent children with the said deformities. The success of the operation provides life-changing opportunity through minimizing social stigma suffered by the children and rebuilding their self-confidence. Cherry Mobile and Operation Smile guarantee the finest quality outputs of the project by providing top calibre medical services to the patients.
The surgeons, physicians and nurses who served the patients are world-class medical practitioners from the Philippines and all over the world who wholeheartedly volunteered to serve the children. Aside from the medical team, there were child life specialists who were tasked to psychologically prepare the children and parents prior to operation. The specialists familiarized young patients with what’s going to happen inside the operating room to make it sound fun and exciting!