Since the moment Katerin came into the hospital, she won everyone over with her smile. She seemed so joyful, giggling every time someone stopped to remark on how cute she was.
Katerin had her lip repaired in surgery today, closing the gap where the left and right sides of her face failed to join together while in her mother’s womb.
Afterward, she had a little bit of a hard time. She cried for a long time, and not even her mother seemed to sooth her. As she cried, my eyes were on her father, Alex. He occasionally left the small recovery room, needing a moment away from the helplessness of a child in pain.
Katerin was eventually calmed through a combination of her parent’s affection and morphine. I spoke to Alex through an interpreter during a brief moment of calm.
He told me about Katerin, about what a happy baby she was, always smiling as she played.
He told me about his hope for her future. He said he doesn’t want her discriminated against because of her looks. He smiled as he said after the operation, she will be 100% like the other kids.
Alex and his wife, Claudia, didn’t have too long a trip to get to the hospital, only 25 minutes by car. Others aren’t so lucky. We heard today about one patient whose family took a 10-hour bus ride, followed by a 3-hour walk, to get this opportunity for their child.
Katerin is recovering well now. She’ll have another day in the hospital to make sure everything is on track. Then, it’s back home to her two older sisters, and a hopefully to a life full of smiles.
Here are some more highlights from the day:
