Operation Smile

A Mother's Story, Meet Gisella

08/04/2022

“My dreams for Valhery — she’s a very smart girl. She will have a great future now,” Gisella says of her two-year-old baby girl. “She can do whatever she wants. That’s a beautiful thing.”

Gisella, a young Peruvian mother, was in disbelief after her infant daughter received a life-changing cleft surgery through Operation Smile. “I felt such surprise and joy,” Gisella says. Valhery was one of the 71 children who were operated on as part of the organization’s mission to Lima, Peru in June.

Also there? Operation Smile ambassador and #MAKEITHAPPEN woman Pritika Swarup, who witnessed the mother and daughter reunite after surgery.

“I brought Valhery out of the OR to see her mother Gisella,” Swarup says. "Gisella was overjoyed to see her baby girl after surgery. We were both brought to tears as we had a moment of understanding that Valhery would have a beautiful life.”

Read on to hear more about Gisella’s experience—and don't forget that this is why your support matters. From now through the end of September, every veronicabeard.com order will make a donation to families like this. We can make a difference together.

Q&A

Q: How were you feeling when your daughter was in surgery?
Gisella: Of course, when Valhery went into the operating room, I was anxious and wondering if everything was going to be okay. I was very nervous, walking back and forth. To distract me, they took me to speech therapy, but I was still tense. But then the volunteers talked to me and reassured me. One doctor said, "She’s in good hands, everything is in God's hands." I immediately felt calmer.

Q: How did you feel when you saw Valhery for the first time after the surgery?
G: I felt such great emotion. I felt such surprise and joy. She was so beautiful. I didn’t think I would see her like this. They did such a great reconstruction because she had a very open cleft, but it was perfect. They did an amazing job, really.

She looks beautiful but more than that, this operation will benefit her personally, physically and in how she sees herself. Now that she will have better self-esteem.

Pritika Swarup and Gisella after Valhery's surgery

Q: What are your hopes and dreams for Valhery after the surgery?
G: This has truly changed her life. I’m so happy. My dreams for Valhery—she is a very smart girl, and now that she has had surgery, she will have a better future.

Q: Would you be happy if Valhery decided to be a nurse a doctor one day, much like the female volunteers here?
G: I would love that, of course.

Pritika Swarup and Valhery

Q: How do you think Operation Smile get more people engaged in their efforts?
G: Operation Smile is an organization that's doing a lot for those in need, helping all those babies that are born with a cleft lip and palate. It's something that they're doing with a great heart. I am truly grateful. I invite you all to look into it.

Operation Smile

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