HOWLAND Group restores smiles to children

During the Philippines mission, volunteer medical personnel repaired the cleft lips and palates of 235 children.
By REBECCA SLOAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HOWLAND -- When the busy day is over, and night falls with a hush, Susan Rebhan of Howland closes her eyes to pray.
Mingled then with her daily reflection and tender reverence are the memories and the faces of children.
Hundreds of children.
Children of sorrow. Children grateful for a crust of bread or a battered toy. Children born with grave physical deformities.
And there are faces of joyous children too. Children whose spirits could light up a room. Children who love life and all it offers.
Surprisingly, the two groups of children are one and the same.
"Despite their hardships, these kids have such spirit. If only we could all have the spirit they possess," Rebhan said with a sigh.
Rebhan is speaking of the hundreds of youths she met during a recent two-week stay in the Philippines where she was a volunteer with Operation Smile -- an effort aimed at providing reconstructive surgery to boys and girls born with severe deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate.
Service to others: Since 1982, Operation Smile has provided reconstructive surgery to thousands of children born with these deformities who live in impoverished countries where advanced medical treatment is not available. During Operation Smile's Philippines mission, volunteer medical personnel repaired the cleft lips and palates of 235 boys and girls.
Rebhan, who is the director of junior clubs for the Ohio Federation of Women's Clubs, a member of the Warren Junior Women's League and a longtime children's advocate, heard of Operation Smile a few years ago and decided immediately she wanted to be involved.
"I wrote Operation Smile a letter expressing my interest and after a selection process, I learned I was going to the Philippines Feb. 18 through March 4," she said.
Although Rebhan is no stranger to volunteer work or the heart-wrenching scenarios such work sometimes entails, she wasn't prepared for the rigors of the trip or the bitter poverty of the West Pacific islands.
"It was quite a shock coming from a country like America," she said. "The medical equipment is so antiquated and the people are so poor."
Rewarding experience: Although Rebhan worked extremely hard, slept in a seedy hotel and wore the daily grit and grime of dusty streets on her face and clothes, she recalls the journey as the most enriching time of her life.
"It was an experience that made me rethink everything, made me count all of my blessings. We have so much to be grateful for in this country," she said. "When I came home and got off the plane and saw the faces of my own children and grandchildren, I just thanked God they were born perfect without deformities."
As one of 40 American volunteers who made the trip, Rebhan interacted with the children and their families, sat in on surgeries and worked as a medical records assistant.
Although witnessing the surgeries made her squeamish, Rebhan said seeing the reconstructed faces of the children and the gratitude shining in their eyes made every moment worthwhile.
"Many of these kids had such severe deformities, and they'd just lived with them their entire lives. Even worse, in the Philippines, there is a superstition that if a child is born this way, it is a curse on the family. Sometimes the parents will abandon the child or keep them hidden from sight, but as I said before, so many of the children were so strong and filled with such spirit despite the hardships," Rebhan said.
Even now Rebhan's eyes well up with tears as she recalls glimpses of this rare, indomitable spirit.
Simple pleasures: "One child tried and tried to blow bubbles with a wand and some bubble juice, but he couldn't because of his cleft palate. He just kept trying and trying and never gave up until he finally blew one bubble, and then he was so happy. It was just such a simple thing, but he was so glad," she said. "Another child just took my hand and bowed to me after his surgery to show me his gratitude and respect."
One 3-year-old boy named Raffy left a special impression on Rebhan.
"I really made a connection with this little boy. I plan to keep in touch with him and his family," she said as she leafs through stacks of photos from her trip and shows pictures of Raffy before and after his surgery.
Although her trip to the Philippines is over, Rebhan plans to keep working for Operation Smile.
"Other people who've made a trip with the organization told me I'd never be the same after my trip, and they were right. Just because I went on a mission and did some volunteer work doesn't mean my efforts for this organization are over now. I plan to speak about the organization and operate local fund-raisers," she said.
Rebhan said people who wish to contribute to Operation Smile can send a check addressed to the organization to Post Office Box 8816, Howland, 44484. For more information about Operation Smile, call (757) 321-SMILE.