Amidst the spirited guitar chords, a group of children, all around 10 years old, sang lively Spanish songs to us.
Their voices, clear and tender, were indistinguishable from those of any other children, yet their joy was palpable, warming the hearts of the audience. Leading the choir was Luna, a 15-year-old girl with a smile that charmed everyone. Her leadership was all the more remarkable given she had endured eight surgeries on her lips and upper jaw.
May 8th is World Smile Day, an official holiday celebrating human facial expressions that was established in 1948 [1].
It has always been our mission to make advanced medical technology accessible to a wider range of regions and populations.
Partnering with Operation Smile, we embarked on a ten-year commitment in 2023 to transform the lives of cleft lip and palate patients worldwide.
In 2024, our mission led us to South America, specifically Colombia - a land of rich culture, diverse landscapes, and people in need of our life-changing assistance.
Spreading the seeds of smiles in South America
Sailing on the Pacific winds, Mindray and Operation Smile came to the capital of Cordoba province, Monteria, in north Colombia, to conduct a charitable surgical program at the Comprehensive Medical University Clinic (CUMI).
During the event, Mindray donated medical devices worth approximately $117,000 to Operation Smile, including monitors, anesthesia machines, operation tables, defibrillators, etc. This donation will be used to establish the first specialized cleft lip and palate operation room in northern Colombia, reaching Cordoba province and its surrounding areas. About 40 patients received treatment in this operation room during this event. In the future, Mindray will provide corresponding technical support and training, directly and indirectly supporting the surgical treatment of more than 23,000 patients in the country.
Benedetta Spinola Martini
Senior Vice President Strategy & Global Development at Operation Smile
By providing necessary medical devices, comprehensive educational programs, and advancements in medical technology, Mindray is supporting our grand goal of providing safe surgical treatment to 1 million patients globally by 2030.
Marcela Tamayo
Executive Director of Operation Smile in Colombia
We have been taking a step towards a more sustainable way of offering continuous surgeries for people with this condition in the Cordoba region and its surroundings. Having a surgery room equipped with cutting-edge technology available to offer this continuous care has marked a milestone in our mission to break down the barriers to surgical care access for all the people in need, regardless of their origin or circumstances.
Roger Jia
General Manager of Mindray Medical in Latin America
The collaboration between Mindray and Operation Smile has changed their smiles. Our mission is to make advanced technology accessible worldwide, allowing more people to receive quality healthcare. Working with Operation Smile helps us achieve this goal.
In the future, this seed will blossom with the winds off the Caribbean Sea, continuously growing and benefiting more patients and families in South America.
Building a canopy of smiles
Colombia, located near the equator in the northwest of the Amazon rainforest, with rich tropical resources and diverse cultures, nurtures a warm and welcoming spirit among its residents and hospitable community culture. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Operation Smile Colombia, where the "home culture" of South America deeply influences the organization's local development.
Before the surgical program, the Mindray volunteers visited the shelter - a temporary residence provided by Operation Smile for patients and families participating in surgery. This shelter serves not merely as an accommodation, but also as a beacon of emotional support, alleviating the feelings of isolation for the families of those undergoing treatment. Through the shelter, Operation Smile has connected bridges between cleft lip and palate patients and closely bound them to the local community.
In addition to screenings and surgical treatment, speech correction and psychological counseling are also crucial. At the Operation Smile Bogotá Medical Center, we witnessed how music is harnessed for speech therapy with children. The choir consists of 15 post-surgery cleft lip and palate children and their siblings, who rehearse once or twice a week. The music teacher noted that they are no different from children learning music generally; instead, they are more confident and enthusiastic. During the visit, the Mindray volunteers invited the local renowned singer Martina Peligrosa to participate in the choir rehearsal. "It was a very lovely and unforgettable experience. I feel even more strongly that my life goal is to make others smile", she said.
Care and protection are universal values that go beyond borders. Looking ahead, Mindray is set to collaborate with Operation Smile to bring brighter smiles to 60,000 cleft lip and palate patients in Colombia, offering vital support to families in need. Mindray remains dedicated to aiding Operation Smile in reaching its ambitious goal by 2030: to provide safe surgical care for 1 million patients worldwide. We are steadfast in our commitment to extend high-quality medical resources to more regions and patients, safeguarding their precious smiles.
Reference:
[1] https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201905/08/WS5cd24332a3104842260ba7f7.html
Operation Smile is an international non-profit organization dedicated to providing people with the opportunity to access needed surgery and healthcare through cleft lip and palate surgery and comprehensive care. Through their global branches, medical and student volunteers, close collaborations with local governments, and healthcare systems, they provide medical expertise, training, research and treatment with the backing of generous donors and corporate partners.
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