Smile! It's a good day!

So a few weeks ago, I wrote a post entitled Thank You, God. In it, I discussed the reasons for reading certain blogs. One blog I stumbled across recently really made me think and be grateful. Audrey's Path was that blog. The mom has three children. Two of them have SLOS, a genetic mutation that affects the way cholesterol forms in the human body. Recently, she had to bury her third child, a son affected with SLOS. I instantly became addicted to this mom's blog. She is super honest, still funny, and immensely faithful. I learned that her daughter had a cleft lip and palate, along with numerous other medical problems.  Eventually, the mom opted to get corrective surgery for her daughter's cleft.

I'm being totally serious when I say that I have never read about or "known" a child with a cleft palate. This may sound ignorant, but I honestly thought cleft problems were present mostly in other countries. I am familiar with Operation Smile, thanks to my monthly dose of STAR magazine. I always want to turn away quickly, but I make myself look and then I think how hard it must be for those sweet children and parents. Those children and parents who probably just want a "normal" smile. 

EVERY THREE MINUTES, A CHILD IS BORN WITH A CLEFT.

From Nationwide Children's

Cleft lip and/or cleft palate is one of the most common birth defects in the U.S., affecting approximately one in 700 babies. Cleft lip and palate may occur as part of an underlying syndrome or be an isolated birth defect. A cleft lip is the result of the lip not “fusing” together during the first few months of fetal development. This often includes the separation of the upper gum line. A cleft palate, which also occurs during the first few months of fetal development, is a separation in the roof of the mouth caused by the sides of the palate not completely fusing one another.

Luckily, there are a lot of people that work to make Operation Smile possible. CampusBookRentals.com donates money to Operation Smile every time people rent textbooks from them. That is wonderful! I know renting books for college is a new thing-I wish it would have been around when I was in school. Some perks you get by renting your books from CampusBookRentals.com are:

-save 40-90% off of bookstore prices
-free shipping both ways
-can highlight in the textbooks
-flexible renting periods

So, what can you do to help? If you're in school, try renting your books! 

Or, make a donation to Operation Smile today! 

OPERATION SMILE: A Smile Is A Universal Right!

SMILE!

SWEET LIPS

CHEESE!

Disclosure: This is a paid post from CampusBookRentals.com. All opinions are my own. Support Operation Smile!