Image 1 / 2
In life, there is nothing more rewarding than changing a child’s life for the better when given the opportunity.
This coming Saturday, October 6, residents will have that opportunity to help change a child’s life when the Isabella Sky Tribute hosts a benefit sing at Central United Baptist Church. Proceeds from the event will entirely benefit the national organization, Operation Smile.
The tribute is named after Isabella Sky Propst, the daughter of Johnny and Shawn Mullins Propst of Logan. Isabella was born in 2006 with a bilateral (two side) cleft lip and cleft palate. Since her birth, the one-year-old has undergone two major surgeries at the Children's Hospital at Kings Daughter in Virginia. That is where the family became aware of Operation Smile.
“We were very fortunate to find a cranial facial team who successfully repaired her cleft lip and cleft palate,” Shawn Propst said. “If it was not for God above and the wonderful experienced team of doctors and staff, we would have never made this journey through. With thankful hearts we would like to give back our appreciation and gratitude by raising money for the Operation Smile organization.”
Cleft lip and cleft palates are the 4th largest birth defect in the world. Facial deformities are often life-threatening and emotionally traumatizing: many children are unable to eat or speak; some are even kept out of school.
“These deformities happened in my early pregnancy, when Isabella’s skull was forming. The left and right areas of the face were separate parts. These parts should have fused together to become one by the twelfth week of gestation. The fusion should have formed the nose, lips, mouth and palate. The palate is a bony area of the mouth that did not fuse together completely and the area remain cleft. Surgical intervention was necessary to align and join the bony parts and correct the tissue areas,” Propst said. “Dr. Magee, founder of Operation Smile, and Dr. Rosenblum, was the practice that successfully completed Isabella's surgery.”
Operation Smile is an organization that provides free surgical treatment for children who are less fortunate. More than 100,000 children are born with a facial deformity each year in Operation Smile mission. Yet tens of thousands remain untreated.
“Operation Smile turns away two out of three children who are seeking help, due to lack of funds. We are very fortunate that Isabella has insurance to cover her health needs, but most children in America suffer because they have no means of support.” Propst said. “So we are asking for your donation to support the Operation Smile organization in honor of "The Isabella Sky Tribute." All of the donations go 100 percent to Operation Smile children.
For $240 Operation Smile can change a child's life by giving the gift of a surgery. Revenue in excess of surgical costs is invested into our sustainability programs, empowering our partner countries to treat more children on their own and making your investment go even farther. The complete Operation Smile model is an investment of $750 per child. In a little as 45 minutes, one cleft lip surgery can change a child's life forever.
About Operation Smile
Post a Comment
