They Said She Should Be Given Away

Three-year-old Naihieng (NY’-ee-eng) was born with a cleft lip. She lives with her family in a remote village in Cambodia. Her mother Sokoeun (so-KOON) blamed herself for her daughter’s condition.  "I wondered if the medicine I took while I was pregnant caused my baby’s cleft lip. In the cold weather, I had trouble breathing, so I took the medicine. When I saw her for the first time, I was heartbroken. But what hurt most was that my husband did not hold her until she was two weeks old."

The family felt unwelcome in their community. Neighbors wouldn’t let their children play nearby for fear their children would “catch” Naihieng’s (NY’-ee-eng's) cleft lip like it was a disease.  “I felt so angry when people looked down on my sister because of her lip.  And they don’t let their children come near our house,” her sister Naiheak (night-HEEK) told us.

Others said they should give the baby away or let her die. “During that time, someone asked us to give the baby away for someone else to raise since we are poor.  But we would never agree to that,” said the baby’s father, Leang.  

As she grew, Naihieng (NY’-ee-eng) struggled to stay healthy because her parents live near a garbage landfill and earned money by collecting trash to recycle.  “If she stays at home, she gets sick because we live near a trash dump.  And sometimes I take her along with me when we collect trash.  We have no choice,” said Sokoeun. 

Then they learned that Operation Blessing provides free life changing surgeries for children with cleft lips. Thanks to YOU, we arranged and paid for Naihieng (NY’-ee-eng) to receive the operation she needed to repair her cleft lip.  “I was so happy after the surgery,” said Sokoeun.  “Her smile is beautiful now.  To everyone who donated: thank you for giving my daughter a beautiful smile.”   

“I was so excited for her. She eats more now, and she smiles all the time,” added her big sister.  

“Thank you, Operation Blessing, for helping my sister.”
 

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