Monday, March 19, 2007 Operation smile at 10 in Cebu (and 25 the world over) By Jenara Regis Newman
OPERATION Smile began 25 years ago in Naga City, founded by American doctor William Magee and his wife, a nurse, Kathy and to date has operated on more than a hundred thousand children’s faces whose lives have been transformed with their facial deformity gone.
It is a volunteer organization which this year will celebrate its anniversary in November with a World Journey of Smiles, a week-long simultaneous medical missions in 25 countries to treat 5,000 children with facial deformities. These missions invariably leave their beneficiaries with changed lives and lasting smiles.
When Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung was approached by Dr. James Joaquino of Operation Smile (OS) Philippines and Dr. Han Kai of OS China for her foundation to host Operation Smile in Cebu, she, with the support of her husband Carlos Yeung, Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung Foundation Inc. (MSYF) founder, readily consented: the thought of being able to give sunshiny smiles to kids (and some adults) who would otherwise not be able to do so because of a cleft lip or cleft palate or both, or some other facial deformity, was heartwarming. What a life-changing mission that would be!
During Cebu’s 10th anniversary celebration March 1 at the Capitol Social Hall, MSYF acknowledged the many organizations and individuals who have helped in the OS medical missions in Cebu. Among the major awardees were volunteers Anita San Jose, Sarah Quitevis, Shirley Ting, Antonieto Suico, Dr. James Joaquino, Dr. Han Kai and the Philippines Pediatric Society, Cebu Medical Society, City of Cebu, the Provincial Health Office, and the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center where OS held its medical missions in the past nine years (the first was at the Miller Hospital).
Also awarded were major donors: the Province of Cebu, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, Anseca Development Corporation, Harry Byun and Korean Community, Cathay Pacific Airways, Mr. And Mrs. Juan Mercado, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Carey, Mr. and Mrs. Hans Reichle, Mr. and Mrs. Nandy Sarda and the St. John School of Tumon, Guam.
Initially, the MSYF was to involve itself in OS for five years. The years have become 10 and in those 10 years, at least 2,500 faces have been transformed; with some of the more complicated ones sent abroad for operation/s that needed more time and facilities for which a 30-minute operation would not suffice.
The 10 years have not eradicated all the facial deformities in the children of the community MSYF serves.
Therefore, there will be more years of cooperation between Operation Smile and MSY Foundation because Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung, she whose smile brightens the world around her, would not want to see children who cannot smile back at her.
