Menisco’s smile is warm and sincere, reaching all the way to his eyes. It radiates so much joy that one could almost forget the difference that marks his lips.
But the 7-year-old boy is unlikely to forget it. For years, the comments from other children in his village were a constant reminder.
“They say I am ugly,” Menisco shared quietly. “They call me ‘big cleft lip.’”
Sometimes he stayed silent when the mocking began. He would look down and walk away without joining the other children at play. But other times, he answered with a wisdom far beyond his years.
Bring hope and healing to children like Menisco
“You don’t know if your children too will have cleft lip,” he told them.
Menisco believed that one day things could change and held onto that hope when faced with the teasing.
“I said that it will be fixed one day,” he explained.
His mother, Julia, watched her son’s struggle with a broken heart.
“I really feel sorry, and I don’t know what to do because most of the kids reject him,” she shared.
Like Menisco, Julia believed that healing was possible but wasn’t sure how they would ever find it. Surgery in their country of Madagascar would be far too expensive for them to ever afford, and the options they had were limited.
Then they heard on the radio that Mercy Ships was coming to Madagascar and offering free surgery.
Menisco and his mother made the journey to where the hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, was docked to find out if healing was truly possible. Once there, Menisco met other children with the same condition as him.
Together they played, rode bicycles, and waited for the surgeries that could change their futures.
Finally, the day arrived for Menisco’s operation. It lasted nearly three hours as surgeons and medical crew from around the world worked to repair his lip — a successful surgery.
After a few days of recovery, he finally saw the repaired smile he had imagined for so long.
“I’m happy because my lip is fixed,” he said with a shy smile. “It’s done by Mercy Ships!”
Julia’s relief was just as overwhelming.
“I’m happy, so very happy that my son’s surgery is done. Both of us are truly very happy,” she said. “And I’m truly grateful to Mercy Ships.”
More than anything, Julia hopes her son keeps the same resilient spirit that carried him through years of ridicule.
“I really see that he is a brave kid, always cheerful,” she said. “I truly hope he makes it through school and has a bright future.”
As they prepared to return home, Menisco already knew what he wanted to say to the children who mocked him for years.
“Look,” he’ll say proudly, “it’s fixed now!”