” He Was Never Ugly to Me”
One of the many mother’s that came to the clinic in the hope of an operation for their child.
This mother walked over 12 hours to get there.
A mother’s love for her child can be astounding. Rosita, from La Paz, Bolivia, is a first-hand example of such love. Her son, Juan Jose, was born with a cleft palate. Rosita was so determined to have it repaired that she took a 30 hour bus trip and got through two major roadblocks to arrive in the city of Santa Cruz. She knew there was a strong chance Juan Jose, 11 months old, might not be eligible or chosen for the free surgery, offered by Operation Smile and LDS Humanitarian Services.
Her husband told her she was crazy to think that someone would perform a surgery for no cost. There was also a concern that if Rosita returned back to her village without the surgery she would have been shunned, scorned, or even beaten. The risk, however, was worth it to give her son a chance at “normalcy.” She was willing to do whatever it would take to get him screened, including physically moving a roadblock that stood in their way during the middle of the night.
Stories like these are nothing new for Nancy Kraus of Trabuco Canyon, California. She currently works as a nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Kraus has committed her life to the service of others. One way she honors this commitment is by traveling worldwide through Operation Smile and LDS Humanitarian Services to assist in surgeries to repair cleft lips and palates. Kraus just returned from a trip to Santa Cruz, Bolivia where she personally met Rosita and her precious son, Juan Jose.
People traveled for many hours, sometimes days just for the
opportunity to be screened and hopefully have surgery. Here is the waiting
room where
they wait to just go through the screening process.
In Santa Cruz, Kraus, along with several other nurses, screened over 350 children for a free surgery to correct their cleft lip or palate. Of those screened, 122 children qualified and received the repairs needed, without any cost to the family. According to Kraus, most surgeries cost roughly $250, an insurmountable amount to most families living in those countries.
Kraus has also served in Tlaxcala, Mexico and Kenya, Africa with Operation Smile and in New Orleans, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, both through LDS Humanitarian Services. Although she’s seen many heartbreaking stories, she’s also seen just as many miracles. In her blog, http://nursenancyrn.blogspot.com, Kraus states, “It is such a blessing to be able to have these experiences and be a tiny part of changing lives. I will never see these people again and most don’t even know my name, but I hope they feel the love & compassion I have for them. They are touching my heart and changing my spirit when I am in their presence.”
As for Rosita and Juan Jose, the trip was well worth the 30 hours each way, two roadblocks, and constant persecution from her husband. After the surgery, Kraus placed Juan Jose in her arms, and Rosita, with her eyes full of tears, looked up and said, “Everyone in my town told me when he was born that I had an ugly baby, but he was never ugly to me and now they will see that he has always been beautiful.”
Couldn’t hold back the tears… Juan Jose’s grateful mother in the recovery room holding him for the first
time after surgery and just after she had seen his lip repaired.
Author: Wendy Vassilaros
Photography Credit: Nancy Kraus
Media Contact : Karen Lake
