Creating Smiles,
Improving Lives
Austin Smiles Blog
Post-Op Comfort
Following a cleft lip repair on Wednesday, 10-month-old Nury Cuc is comforted by her mother, Candelaria. Photo by Kris Kennedy
No Worries
Just prior to transfer to OR2 on Wednesday, 16-year-old Abner Pacheco is totally relaxed. A resident of Mixco, Abner would undergo a rhinoplasty with Dr. Wilder and his team. Photo by Kris Kennedy
A Moment’s Pause
On busy surgical days, it isn't easy to get a surgeon and a scrub tech to stand still for a moment, much less for a photo. Here, plastic surgery fellow Dr. Erika Sato (left) and Jill DeCabooter pause between Wednesday cases in OR3. By day's end, they would assist Dr....
Active
Inside the center, it's perpetual motion. Outside, in the distance, it's the fixity of an active volcano. Photo by Kris Kennedy
Austin Really Does Smile
Despite the long hours and constant commotion, volunteers Cesca Judge (left) and Stephanie Ashby manage to stay cheerful in the triage room while assisting doctors, nurses and patients, and carefully recording critical information. Photo by Kris Kennedy
. . . And A Different Kind Of “After”
The doctor and the patient share a smile. Photo by Kris Kennedy
A Different Kind of “Before”. . .
On Wednesday, Dr. Syboney Zapata greets Maria Ramirez Arreola. Photo by Kris Kennedy
A Picture Greater Than A Thousand Words
A natural beauty: Nathally Muralles Photo by Kris Kennedy
A Moment, A Life
Outside the triage room on Wednesday morning, eight-year-old Norma Tax Ortega is remarkably carefree. Later in the day, Norma would undergo a cleft soft palate repair that will last far longer than the bubbles she produced. Photo by Kris Kennedy
Shared Language
In the hallway that connects the overnight rooms, the pharmacy, the triage room and other vital areas of the Moore Pediatric Surgery Center, Guatemalan medical resident Erick Cotoc (center) consults with Austin Smiles pre-op/triage nurse Carrie Bailey and...
Dinner And Conversation
Late Wednesday, anesthesiologist Dr. Stan Eckert (right) and ENT Dr. Syboney Zapata (left) share a laugh with nine-year-old Paola Martinez. On Thursday, Paolo would undergo a right-ear debridement with Guatemalan plastic surgeon Dr. Julio Sagastume. Led by Dr. Eckert,...
Morning Light
In the time prior to surgery on Wednesday morning, two patients color with crayons in the hall outside the triage room. Photo by Kris Kennedy
1 in 700 children are born with a cleft lip or palate
$250 covers the cost of one life-changing surgery
150 volunteers annually will change a child’s life forever
Medical Mission Trips
Austin Smiles goes on 2-3 medical mission trips annually
Our Local Services
Our local program support for children born with Cleft Lip and Palate in Texas
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