By Jamie Funk
Zaid is an Iraqi toddler from a Shiite Muslim family. Like other boys his age, he is full of energy and enthusiasm. A grin from ear to ear plasters his face - it''s his trademark. Looking closely, one can see a small scar extending from his lip to his nose. It is this cleft lip scar that changed Zaid''s life.
This minute imperfection is the remnant of the disfiguration that previously marred his face. Zaid is one of thousands of children born yearly with a cleft palate.
Volunteers with Operation Smile, a worldwide non-profit organization, travel to 24 countries each year, treating the infirm for such conditions as cleft palate, cleft lip, burn wounds, tumors and other deformities. The team of 40 to 50 people consists of plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, dentists, pediatricians, nurses, child-life specialists and student educators.
Cleft palates are the most common facial birth defect, afflicting more than 200,000 babies born each year. Those suffering from this disorder have a hole in the roof of their mouth where the plates failed to connect in the first six to eight weeks of fetal development.
This defect not only alters the face of its victims, but it also inhibits speech development and contributes to malnutrition.
'Problems that come from cleft lip and palate go beyond the aesthetic, beyond the appearance,' said Wade Hooton, president of the Utah student chapter of Operation Smile and a senior from Highland majoring in biology. 'They often have ear problems, hearing problems, speech problems, not to mention psychological problems.'
In December 2003, volunteers with Operation Smile traveled to Jordan where they successfully operated on Zaid and 16 other children, just two days after American troops captured Saddam Hussein.
Despite the fact that Zaid lives in a war-torn country, he received medical attention through the organization whose motto is 'uniting the world through its children.'
Though this operation takes little more than an hour, it changes the lives of children like Zaid forever.
'My motivation for being involved with Operation Smile is seeing kids that had a problem that was so easy to fix, but that altered their lives,' said Devan Griner, who has been involved with the organization for nine years. 'It''s kind of hard to sleep at night when you know that a half an hour of your time could change someone''s life.'
Dr. J. Greg Kjar, a plastic surgeon from Bountiful, has volunteered his time to serve on 18 missions to such places as Kenya, the Philippines and Romania. He has also been involved in the organization of the Utah chapter of Operation Smile. Motivated by the happiness his service brings to patients and their families, Kjar continues to donate his time.
'Just to see the smiles on the faces of those kids and to observe how it alters their lives is the motivation behind what it is that we do,' Kjar said.
Although the missions require a huge medical staff, not all volunteers have medical backgrounds. Student volunteers who are involved in creating awareness, providing service and fundraising are essential to the success of the organization. Students who accompany the teams on missions train locals on proper hygiene and fire safety.
'To college students I would say ... recognize the fact that you can make a difference,' Hooton said. 'Were it not for the students, were it not for the people here at BYU and Provo High School and that kind of thing, the surgeons wouldn''t even be there.'
Fundraising is an essential element of the organization, which is completely funded by donations. Corporations such as Johnson & Johnson and Citibank contribute to the organization, but expenses exceed the corporate donations. The estimated cost for one mission is about $150,000. This includes everything from sutures to scalpels to anesthesia machines. Private donations and fundraisers cover the remaining costs.
Steve Young has also been involved with the organization and has helped with fundraising.
'As the years went by, we started doing golf tournaments with Steve Young,' Kjar said. 'Steve would bring a bunch of athletes out and we''d go out to Oakridge Country Club. We''d raise five or six thousand dollars which wasn''t making much of a dent in our obligation to try and fund these trips.'
At the end of May, Operation Smile plans on hosting a golf-a-thon to raise funds. Forty-five golfers, who are expected to raise $1000 each, will play a 100-hole game.
To students who do not have as much money or medical training, the donation of their time is a huge contribution.
'What I''ve learned is that everyone wants to get involved somehow and make a difference in the world,' Hooton said. 'Everyone wants to be involved in something bigger than themselves. One of the neat things about Operation Smile is that it offers the vehicle for people to actually do something to get involved.'
Going on missions with Operation Smile has had a big influence on Griner, who is in his second year of medical school at the University of Utah. His experiences with Operation Smile have inspired him to become a plastic surgeon.
'This organization has made a bigger impact on my life than probably anything,' Griner said. '
Hooton plans on attending medical school for the same reasons. He said in small ways anyone can make a big difference in others'' lives.
'Recognize that even though you may feel that you are playing a very small role, what you do makes a huge, huge difference,' Hooton said. 'It''s what changes lives. I firmly believe that you are carriers of hope for children who have none.'