HOORAY FOR CUI!!!
One of the people who touched our hearts the most on our surgery mission to Henan was a 19 year old girl who had lived her whole life with a severe bilateral cleft lip and palate. Despite not having a normal smile, this courageous young woman set a goal for herself that she would study every day and someday be accepted to university, even though her loving parents, who had adopted her as a baby, were extremely poor.
Shortly after we did surgery, we received a letter from Cui that brought all of us to tears. I would like to share a portion of that letter here:
I am almost completely recovered now. I believe that it will not be long to see a true me living freely like other ordinary girls, these are my dreams for so many years. Thinking about possibilities and future life, I am very happy and grateful from the bottom of my heart because I know all these changes were given to me by warm hearted people.I still don't know who are my own biological parents, it's my adopted parents, who picked me up from the road when I was abandoned, that give me a new life. They are very poor but I can feel their love. Recollecting the oldtime, I got used to harsh ridiculous remarks, cold eyes and snobbish comments from ignorant bystanders, weeping and sleeplessness in dark nights are still vivid in my memories. Life, years after years has taught me a lot and made me stronger and now more optimistic. In the past, even though I had never said anything about cleft operation to my current adopted parents, I knew that they were anxious but all helpless,I could only accept this as my fate. I am like other girls who love to have sweet and beautiful dreams. Just before I went to LuoYang, I dreamed that I would meet good-hearted people some day. This miracle appeared unexpectedly and came to me in an unbelievably fast way. To tell the truth, it was nothing more than trying my luck when I went to LuoYang, My past living experience taught me not to expect miracles, they only appear in storybooks, but everything went smoothly. Thinking about all these now, I still feel that I myself were in the dream of fantasy. The pain and burden in my heart has disappeared, only happy smile is left.
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We were fortunate to meet this young woman again in January, and she told us she would be sitting for the college exam this summer. We are THRILLED to announce that we just got the news that Cui has been accepted to University!! This inspiring young woman has beaten all the odds and will begin college this fall. LWB is honored that we can help make this possible for this determined young lady. I know you all will want to celebrate with us that her dreams are coming true! Recently, she sent us an updated photo of herself. This young lady, who had lived so long feeling different, now looks out of her photo with confidence and beauty.
