Favour, from the city of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, is the mother of Smile Train patient Annointed. Below, she shares with us her and her family’s journey from unexpectedly having a child with a cleft to finding the free, lifesaving care her son needed from a local Smile Train partner.

The first thing I have to tell you is that my husband, Martin, and I loved Annointed from the moment he was born and knew God has chosen him for a special purpose in this world. Truthfully, we were also a bit discouraged, too, because neither of us had ever come across a cleft before. The hospital staff noticed our concern and told us that his cleft wouldn’t be an issue because there was a surgical cure for it. Martin and I thought they were only saying this to calm us down, but when we got home from the hospital, I did my own research online and found videos on YouTube that let me know they were telling the truth; there really were remedies.

“He Had Been Crying Profusely And Couldn’t Keep Any Food Down.” Mom Shares Son’s Healing Journey With Birth Difference, Urges, “Never Give Up On Your Child.”www.smiletrain.org

However, the videos also showed me that this was no minor procedure. We don’t have a lot of money and I didn’t know how we would ever afford something like that. But Martin was supportive and encouraging. He didn’t think it would cost too much, and anyway, whatever our Annointed needed, we had faith that he would receive.

It was clear to us that he needed help quickly. I had to express my milk into a separate container and give it to my baby in a very exact position; if he even laid down after eating, the food would come out of his nostrils and he would suffocate because of his cleft. That also meant we could not leave him alone after feeding. Either his father or I had to be there at all times.

How did we find help? Read the whole story here: Annointed for Greatness (smiletrain.org)