Followers of our Smile Stories may recall 2016’s “See the Smiles” sweepstakes winner Adela Tabares, who was selected at random from our community of loyal supporters to travel to an Operation Smile medical mission to witness the organization’s life-changing work firsthand.

As fate would have it, Adela’s support of Operation Smile is deep-rooted, as she was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate.

Incredibly, the 2017 sweepstakes winners, wife and husband Leah Lane and Chris Lane of North Carolina, U.S., have a profound connection to the organization’s work as well. Their 9-year-old son Les was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate and has endured nine surgeries.

We recently caught up with Leah and Chris to learn more about their personal journey with Les and their life-changing trip to an Operation Smile international medical mission in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, in October 2017.

Q: How did you find out that your son was going to be born with a cleft condition, and what kind of impact did that have on you?

Chris: “We didn’t find out that Les had a cleft lip and palate until five days before he was born. We had an ultrasound at 20 weeks that looked normal, but he had his hand over his face. We decided not to go back for another ultrasound. Leah had a lot of back pain during this pregnancy, so we decided to induce at 37 weeks. The ultrasound that discovered his cleft was meant to determine the size of our baby prior to induction. The results were not disclosed to us at that time but relayed to our obstetrician, who then called me at work and asked me to join Leah at the appointment. We were both overwhelmed by the news; neither of us knew anything about cleft lip and cleft palate.”

Q: How did you feel when you saw your son for the first time.

Chris: “I thought he was beautiful – I was so proud to have him here with us. Seeing him and actually seeing him respond and cry showed me that everything was going to be okay, and that Les would be a fighter.”

Q: How did his doctors explain the rounds of surgery and treatment that would be in his future, and how did that compare with how things have unfolded up to this point?

Leah: “We met with our hospital’s craniofacial team, and they explained the general plan for Les within the first week he was born. They explained that each deformity is unique, so each plan of treatment is unique. He has had nine surgeries so far; his cleft was severe and he has had to receive many rounds of surgery on his palate.”

Q: What’s life like for Les, and how does he view his cleft condition and his many surgeries?

Leah: “Les’ quality of life is amazing! We decided early on not to treat him any differently than we treat our other son. We taught Les at an early age that God created him for his glory and that his life will be used for good. When he was little and kids would ask him what happened to his nose, he would just answer, ‘God created me with a cleft lip and palate.’

“What’s wonderful is that his peers treat him the same as anyone else. We’ve told him to look at people asking him about his cleft as a way to educate them about cleft conditions. We’ve also explained that there is a difference between someone asking him about it and making fun of him. Les has a contagious personality; kids like being around him because he is fun-loving and cares about others.

“His emotions about surgeries have evolved with age. He was more fearful just to leave us when he was smaller. Now, he’s not so scared to leave us; he’s fully aware of the pain and recovery that he is about to face. Overall, Les is amazingly brave and always well-loved by the doctors and nurses who care for him.” 

Q: When and why did you become inspired to become an Operation Smile donor?

Leah: “We became inspired to donate to Operation Smile early in Les’ life after realizing that were babies around the world that were less fortunate and unable to receive surgical care. For his first birthday party, we raised funds for surgeries instead of having people bring presents to his party!” 

Q: When you signed up for the “See the Smiles” drawing, what expectations did you have for winning, and what was your reaction that you had been selected for the trip to Bolivia?

Leah: “I didn’t have an expectation of winning the drawing, but I’ve always believed that you miss every shot you don’t take – so why not try? When Libby called me, I really questioned her to make sure it wasn’t a prank call! Chris and I didn’t care where we went – we were just beyond thrilled to have this opportunity!”

Q: As the parents of a child born with a cleft condition, what was it like being a part of the mission? What hit you the hardest, emotionally?

Leah: “I literally had a lump in my throat all week long. I didn’t want to cry because I didn’t want to upset any of the parents, but I was overcome with emotion. I was humbled – Les is so amazingly blessed to live in the U.S. and receive phenomenal care. I was saddened to think about the moms and how many had to cope with feelings of isolation in their communities. I was also overcome with a love for their babies!”

Chris: “The hardest part about being at the mission site was seeing the lack of access to medical treatment the people had. I was so thankful for our access to hospitals in the U.S. and the great medical teams that’ve supported us. What impacted me the most emotionally was the generosity of the Operation Smile medical volunteers giving their time and resources so that many people could get the medical care that they needed. It was wonderful to see how thankful the families were that received treatment.”

Q: How were you able to help as volunteers throughout the mission?

Leah: “My absolutely favorite part was holding the babies in the recovery room. I adored getting to sing in their ears and whisper to them how special they were. I also really enjoyed showing the parents the book that I made of pictures of Les. It was priceless to see their faces light up when they saw what Les looked like before surgery and what he looked like after surgery!”

Q: I understand that you connected with a young couple with a baby born with a cleft lip and cleft palate. Could you tell us more about the special relationship you formed with Jack’s parents, Felipe and America?

Leah: “I walked up and showed America and Felipe the book I made about Les. I believe that after they saw pictures of Les, it was the first time they had hope for Jack. They were extremely kind and genuinely seemed interested in learning what life was like for Les. We just naturally had the connection of wanting the best for our kids.” 

Q: What advice did you have for the young parents?

Chris: “I told them it would be okay; Jack was going to be fine. It’s certainly not the path that you imagined for your child, but this is an issue that can be corrected and he’ll have all of the opportunities that his friends will have.”

Leah: “We also told them to stay in touch with Operation Smile and take whatever advice and services that they offered for Jack.”

Editor’s note: Jack was too young to receive surgery at the October 2017 Santa Cruz mission, but the family returned to the next Operation Smile Bolivia mission in March 2018 where he received cleft lip surgery. He’s scheduled to return in October 2018 for his palate procedure.

Q: What did you learn about Operation Smile in the medical mission setting that you didn’t realize before the trip?

Leah: “I realized that it’s a really huge undertaking for Operation Smile to provide a top-notch level of care where they work. Of course, safety is Operation Smile’s top priority and it was continually emphasized by the volunteers. All of the medical professionals are amazingly skilled and dedicated to their professions and the love of these children.” 

Chris: “I was amazed at the level of background planning that goes into these missions. Everything from the location to getting the word out to the patients about the mission. It was also really special to see the relationship between Operation Smile Bolivia team and the international team that traveled to site.  Both sides were critical for a successful mission.”

Q: How did the mission experience strengthen your passion for Operation Smile?

Leah: “I saw firsthand how resources were used responsibly, and that money is not wasted. For example, to save money, donors made (“Smile Splints,” which prevent children from being able to reach and damage their stitches) by sewing a pattern given to them and then used tongue depressors to hold it in place. That’s just an amazing use of resources! It gives donors a way to give their time and talent and save the organization operational costs. I was also absolutely blown away that the medical professionals take time away from their high-paying jobs to volunteer their services for free.” 

Q: What does Les think about your trip?

Leah: “He originally wanted to go with us! We discussed that and decided that the long hours on the mission may be a bit too much for him. Les would love to go on a mission someday! He thinks it’s super cool that Chris and I were able to go and help others. He also likes that other moms got to see his book!”