On May 31st, 2019, the opening ceremony of “Love in Xi’ an, Smile for the Future— 2019 Xi’ an International Lip and Palate Cleft Reparation Medical Mission” was held at the 1st Affiliated Hospital of Xi’ an Jiaotong University in the collaboration of Future Smile Foundation and 1st Affiliated Hospital of Xi’ an Jiaotong University. Meanwhile, “2019 Xi’ an Academic Forum” took place, attended by dozens of surgeons with expertise in lip clefts and palate clefts from China and abroad. During the medical mission, organized in almost six months, the surgeons from 1st Affiliated Hospital of Xi’ an Jiaotong University screened over 160 patients with the help of volunteers from Future Smile Foundation, and finally over 70 operations took place and brought intact smiles for the patients.

On June 28th, 2019, the opening ceremony of “Love in Qamdo, Smile for the Future — 2019 Qamdo Lip and Palate Cleft Reparation Medical Mission” took place at Renming Hospital of Qamdo. The vice mayor Hu Dengfu represented the local patients and paid his respect and gave his thanks to the volunteers from around the country who attended this medical mission. In the three-year-span from 2016 to 2018, volunteers from Future Smile Foundation helped 254 local families and returned a colorful childhood to 254 children from Qamdo which they deserve. The Foundation receive positive comments and sincere gratification from the people of Qamdo.

Executive Director of Future Smile Foundation Shan Li gave thanks to the Health Department of Qamdo, Renmin Hospital of Qamdo, Alibaba Charities, and Chow Tai Fook Medical Foundations for their support on behalf of the Future Smile Foundations and the volunteers. With the warming aid from these various parties, this lip and palate cleft reparation medical mission of Future Smile Foundation was able to take place in Qamdo for the fourth time. In addition to lip and cleft reparations, this medical mission included surgeries for hand deformities. We hope that through this medical mission, we are able to help the patients and return their smiles back to this pure and beautiful land! The general secretary of Health Department of Qamdo Wang Jinghu presented honor certificate to Dr. Shi Songming and Dr. Dong Chenbin, who has gone on all four medical missions in Qamdo.

In late June, Future Smile Foundation held the “The Belt and Road Initiative — The Love of Western China” public welfare training at the First Affiliated Hospital of Lanzhou University. The training benefited over 120 medical personnels from Shanghai 9th Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Lanzhou University, the Third Renmin Hospital of Gansu Province and 18 other hospitals in Gansu Province. The training included 4 courses in BLS and i course in PALS. Since 2005, Smile Future Foundation has carried out over 120 training session, and has provided high level first aid training to more than 3000 medical personnels from over 200 hospitals from across China.

57-year-old Sloanima is 10 years older than his younger sister Yuzhu Zum. They displayed a shocking fear, unlike the usual peacefulness seen in the elderly, and clutching each other’s hands tightly, scared to lose one another, and wearing thick masks even in the hottest summer days. Living in remote mountainous areas, the brother and sister have no access to high-quality medications. As hard as it is to believe, they have been plagued by cleft lips since birth, living an unimaginable life, rejected by their fellow countrymen. As result, the two have become bashful and withdrawn from the rest—face masks seem to be a must wherever they go.

When they were told that they could get the surgery and medication provided free, the two held their wrinkled hands firmly in happiness. Even the worn masks couldn’t conceal the sincere and genuine smile on their faces. Not until that moment did they conquer the contempt and misunderstandings from others and agreed to have this touching picture taken.

The day of the operation arrived. In the beautiful afterglow of the sun in the late afternoon, the white hair of Sloanima and Yuzhu Zum seemed to fade away. It was like if they had returned to their younger selfs, full of energy again. The brother’s eyes were filled with expectations and imaginations as he saw his sister walk behind the white walls of the operation room, while secretly putting his own hands together with a slight worrying.

The nurses put the two together in the same room for recovery so that they could be close together in this unfamiliar environment. We were glad to see that their wounds were healing at a promising speed, as if they didn’t just get a surgery twenty hours ago. However, the more noticeable thing on their faces was the new yet familiar smile on their faces and the innocent concern for each other, as always.