She Was a Baby With No Future

In the village of Izabal in the Guatemalan countryside, we met a six-month-old little girl names, Marjorie, and her parents, Cesar and Crysly.

“When I saw her for the first time, I felt happy and sad at the same time,” the little girl’s mother told us.  “I was happy that she was alive, but I felt anguish because I had never seen a baby like that.”

Marjorie was born with a facial deformity, called a cleft lip.  The worst part about Marjorie’s condition was that it made it very difficult for the child to eat.  Because of this, she was severely underweight and malnourished.

“Many times her milk would get into her lungs instead of her stomach and she choked when she was trying to eat,” her mother told us.  “She did not want to eat much.”

“I worked as a janitor and I tried many times to get a loan to pay for her to get corrective surgery,” said her Dad, Cesar.  “But I was always rejected because of how low my salary is.”

In desperation, Marjorie’s parents scraped together enough money to get her a prosthetic palate, hoping it would help her eat.  All it is is a piece of hard plastic.  It’s very uncomfortable and did not help at all, in fact it made her choke even more when trying to eat.  Even if it did work properly, the parents knew this was just a temporary fix.  They knew that without surgery, Marjorie’s hope for a normal future was bleak.  

Marjorie’s mother cried as she told us, “there were kids that saw my baby and asked, ‘what does that girl have?  Why does she look like that?’”

CBN learned about Marjorie’s condition when a concerned relative called our local office.  We also learned that she was drastically underweight.  As soon as we could, we brought the family fortified milk and vitamins so she could gain enough weight to safely get surgery.  Her parents couldn’t believe that she was finally getting the help she needed.  A month later, Marjorie had gained enough weight to be cleared for surgery.  CBN’s Orphan’s Promise covered all the expenses and the surgery was a complete success!

“I can’t believe she has a beautiful smile now,” said her mother.  “It’s so exciting!”

After a week of recovery, Marjorie could finally eat normally.  She has gained weight and grown a lot since her surgery.  Now the future is bright for little Marjorie.  

“I am so happy and thankful to God because the surgery was a success,” said Marjorie’s mother.  “Thank you CBN for changing my daughter’s life, may God bless you!”

“I feel so happy because now my little girl is eating normally and I can play with her,” her father told us.  “I am so thankful to God and CBN!”