Miracle Workers: Ethiopian Girl Has Facial Cleft Repaired In Toronto

Canadian charities are making a huge difference to children and adults worldwide by providing them with something they are unable to get in their impoverished countries: surgery to repair their faces.

Two weeks ago, six-year-old Yeabsra Hailmarim underwent an extremely complex and delicate procedure at Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital to repair her severe facial cleft, a condition that left her with a significant gap in her facial features and protrusions in her forehead where her brain lay unprotected. The surgery was tense: Doctors literally had to remove her skin, then assemble the pieces of her face together like a jigsaw puzzle, being careful not to damage her eyes and her brain.

Yeabrsa was brought to Sick Kids by Toronto-based charity Transforming Faces Worldwide — a non-governmental, non-profit agency dedicated to providing assistance to those in developing countries who are suffering with cleft palates and related facial disorders. They provide both direct care as well as training to local teams in treating these disorders. The Herbie Fund, a charity established to bring kids from around the world specifically to Sick Kids for needed medical care, looked after her hospital costs. The surgeons waived their fees.

Today, Yeabrsa is recovering well, reports the Toronto Star. Her mother, who accompanied her from Ethiopia, was torn over whether to subject Yeabrsa to the long and risky surgery, but ultimately decided that if she did not, her daughter would suffer from stigmatization forever. Even now, as a six-year-old, she was beginning to lose her innocence over the flaws in her face, asking her mother why she looked the way she did. Did she fall? The affectionate, loving little girl was starting to show signs of withdrawal, says her mother, which ultimately pushed her to make the decision to get the surgery done.

Yeabsra will need at least one more surgery to finish the reconstruction of her nose. But until then, the little girl plays at peace, her face yet a mystery to her — she has not looked in the mirror since the surgery — but a miracle to many others.

You can see photos of Yeabrsa’s new face at the Toronto Star.

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Photo credit: salimfadhley on Flickr

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jessica w.

7:46PM PDT on Sep 13, 2011

thanks

send a green star

Jane W.

8:05PM PDT on May 19, 2011

Thanks for letting more people know about these good works.

will w.

12:20AM PDT on May 19, 2011

noted

John S.

9:39AM PDT on May 18, 2011

Thanks.

Wioletta S.

1:32AM PDT on May 17, 2011

Thanks

Carole K.

12:42PM PDT on May 16, 2011

I know that they don't need my acknowledging statement & that they don't do these good works for the acclaim anyway; but I would like to say that I read this article about Sick Kids, Transforming Faces Worldwide & the Herbie Fund this morning. Truly these are miracle workers; & just to read of their compassion, caring & concern for fellow human beings has renewed my spirit today. I know that there are other such organizations throughout this troubled world that also do cleft lip/palate surgeries as well. I am grateful to share the world with such people who demonstrate humanitarianism in it's true essence. Today, this story served to help me remember that each individual can contribute something to making this world a better place, however large or seemingly small. Each day we have an opportunity to serve one another in love, make a difference, & touch a life forever. In the words of the song, "LOVE, lift us up where we belong...." Now, I'm going to go see what I can do to help today!!!!! Oh yes, TY for the article.

Ali B.

8:30PM PDT on May 14, 2011

This is great!!!!!!!!

Warwick N.

8:09PM PDT on May 12, 2011

I enjoyed this article. I sponsor a 14 yr old ethiopian girl so I felt some affinity to the issues in the article.

James E.

9:24AM PDT on May 12, 2011

How we change the world for the better, helping where we can, even on child at a time.

Compassion, concern, caring, we must be the change we wish to see in the world (A modfication of a Ghandi quote).

Kerrie G.

6:22AM PDT on May 12, 2011

That's great news!