An interesting case we had was a set of twins, both with cleft lips, both on the right side, and no known family history of cleft. It is very rare for a set of twins to both have cleft lips; it is more common for one of the two to have a cleft.

The 11-year-old girls were accompanied by both parents on their 6.5 hour journey to Zhaotong and their week long stay in the hospital.

The surgeons have picked up the pace once again. We were even able to add two extra patients to the schedule today ensuring that all the medically eligible patients could have their surgeries!

Tomorrow will be our last day of surgery followed by closing clinic on Friday. It has been a whirlwind 10 days and we have encountered so many kind and caring people in every aspect of the mission.

From the patients and their families, to the drivers who stay late into the night to drive our weary selves back to the hotel. From the cooks who prepare our food here at the hospital to all the volunteers that help us with translation and so much more.

And then there are the local shop keepers and taxi drivers who refuse to accept payment from us, saying it is their way to show thanks for all of our hard work…so many people have greeted us with kindness and offered us their support in myriad ways. We couldn’t do what we do without all of this help.

As you have seen in previous posts, the stories of the patients we have met have been so inspiring to us.

Click Here for more stories from the Alliance for Smiles 2018 Zhaotong, China Mission!