Transformations: Lorena

Lorena, Age 20 - Quito, Ecuador

Lorena suffered from a serious congenital defect of her nose which gave her two ridges and two deformed nostrils. Lorena and her parents knocked on many doors all over Guayaquil, but could never find an adequate solution to this problem. Not many local doctors had the highly trained skills to help and they certainly did nit have any money. The family sensed she would look normal ever again. Through a friend, Lorena was told about Operation of Hope that had been making annual visits to Riobamba for many ears. Lorena’s family knew they had to take this chance. Lorena and her family made the six-hour bus trip to be evaluated by the Operation of Hope doctors. On arrival, Lorena’s family knew they had done the right thing.

Lorena literally cried when she was placed on Operation of Hope’s busy surgery schedule. “You don’t know how much I prayed to God for this day.” Lorena’s operation was a great success and today she really is a new person. People around her immediately noticed her new confidence and her excitement when they discovered later that she had landed a job. A simple opportunity that was unlikely before her operation. Years later, Lorena wrote Operation of Hope to say she feels very content and has established a new life. Her dreams have been fulfilled by this gift of surgery.

A note from Lorena:
Operation of Hope is the best thing that has happened to me in my 27 years of life. Never have I met people so altruistic, and not only are they good medical surgeons in general, but they are excellent people as well.

Since my first surgery six years ago, my life has change in a radical 90 degree turn. Before it was difficult to have a life of a school girl or a high school girl, or a life at all. But I kept fighting during my 20 years to overcome sadness, and it was difficult.

I always would ask why God wanted to bring me to this world and give me this nose deformity, where I couldn't be normal like other girls or youth moving forward with their lives.

Now I know God knows the things He does, and it was worth it since he gave me the opportunity to meet Operation of Hope each year and have the pride and the ability to help in the operation process as a volunteer.

It fills my heart with such joy to see happiness in the faces of other children with a better future. If feels with me happiness that they have at a younger age something that I didnt have until I was 20: the appearance of being normal without anyone looking at them as if they were strange bugs as they walk the streets. I know that God put them in my path to fill my life with joy and love.

For that, today, tomorrow and forever I give thanks to God and to Operation of Hope for changing my life and filling it with joy.