Operation Smile

I think it's so important that we take time every now and then (and as much as possible) to think about the people less fortunate than us, who struggle every day for acceptance and can only dream of a day thats not hard as hell.

When I was approached by Operation Smile, I thought to myself how incredibly lucky I am to be able to look in the mirror every day and see a smile not flawed by scarring. I seriously take that for granted every day. I hate the little crooked tooth on the bottom, or how I wish my upper lip was just a little fuller. So many babies are born with cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities and most of the time, their parents can't afford to pay for the help they need for reconstructive surgery. A baby born with cleft is twice as likely to die before his or her first birthday. They often can't eat, socialize, speak, and are shunned for looking different. Every child deserves to live a full life, and one where they aren't treated differently because of how they look.

Operation Smile has been able to perform over 200,000 surgeries, free of charge to families. They treat children all over the world and believe that "Safe Surgery Saves Lives," which means they adhere to the highest medical standards no matter where the surgery is performed. They continually educate and train their staff and volunteers to provide the best possible care for all of their patients and communities.

One in seven children have no access to healthcare. That is so scary. Let's so everything we can to change that.

Even a couple bucks makes a big difference- especially in underdeveloped countries. I just made a donation to Operation Smile here, and you can too.