Doña Josefa traveled nearly four hours from São José do Campestre in Brazil to the hospital. At 70 years old, she received the surgery she needed to treat the cleft lip and palate she was born with, after decades of living with the physical and social difficulties caused by the condition.
The procedure took place at the Parteira Maria Correia Regional Women’s Hospital in Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, between May 26 and 31, 2025. The care was provided through a free surgical program.
The delayed access reflects what it means to go decades without the care needed. After the surgery, Josefa was able to do something she had only ever dreamed of: put on lipstick. For her, that gesture carried the weight of a lifetime.
