For 67 years, Dona Maria, a Brazilian woman, lived in Mossoró with an untreated cleft lip and palate. Despite the constant challenges of speaking and eating, she held on to a very particular wish.
As she herself put it: “All I want is to wear red lipstick”. The life-changing opportunity came in 2017, when Operation Smile volunteers held a free medical mission in her city.
After passing the physical examination and undergoing successful surgery, Dona Maria looked at the doctors and said impatiently: “I want to see my new smile”. Some time later, after the area had healed, she fulfilled her dream and happily posed for a photo shoot. A small act of beauty that restored her confidence.
