Vietnam face surgery

We were given the great opportunity to sponsor a facial surgery in Vietnam. The great doctors over at Interplast traveled to Vietnam and did many reconstructive surgeries. They found one girl who was a twin and almost was killed because of her deformity before

after

here is the crazy story!

This little girl was born with a cleft lip, while her twin sister was born "normal" with no facial deformities. The mother had left the twin with the cleft lip with the grandmother, and only picked her up when she needed money, when she would try to sell her to the highest bidder.
After the first buyer rejected her because of her cleft lip, her mother left her again at the grandmother's house. The second time her mother needed money, the buyer had agreed to buy her as a sacrifice by throwing her into the sea for $2 million dong (less than 2 US$) before seeing her. Luckily for the twin with the cleft, the mother brought along her sister on the day the transaction was to occur.
The buyer refused to buy her the twin with cleft because of her deformity, but instead wanted to buy her sister for triple amount. Her mother refused. Thus, she was again left with the grandmother. The grandmother went to the authorities and has legally adopted her so her mother can not take her anymore and try to sell her.
It is amazing the extent to which children with clefts are treated as outcasts and pariahs in developing countries. In this case, the cleft actually saved the girl from a watery grave, but such instances of clefts increasing the quality of life are rare. She is a pretty girl and I am glad her grand-mother brought her to us.

click here to listen to an interview with the doctor that did the surgery.

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