16/09/2025
"Raechelle did not want to go to school because even we could not understand her when she talked because of her cleft. She fears that other kids will bully her because of her speech," Jennifer, Raechelle's mother, shared in dismay.
Raechelle, the fourth child of Jennifer's five children, was born with a cleft lip and palate. This all made it easy for her to choke when drinking milk. "I almost gave up. Sometimes, I got frustrated. I tried everything I could think of to assist Raechelle in eating. Thank God, I successfully did it until Raechelle was two years old," Jennifer said. Since Raechelle has grown up with her clefts untreated, she has struggled to speak, and even her mother could not understand her when she talked. Raechelle did not want to go to school because she feared being bullied.
Thankfully, Jennifer heard about a Tebow CURE Children’s Hospital of the Philippines mobile clinic through their district’s government healthcare worker. Jennifer went to the mobile clinic with Raechelle and said she would risk traveling the six-hour journey to Tebow CURE to get Raechelle's cleft surgery.
In February of 2024, Raechelle underwent her first corrective surgery for her cleft lip. In March of 2025, she underwent her cleft palate surgery, ending Raechelle's struggle with speech.
Thank you, Smile Train Philippines, our partner, for helping us change lives like Raechelle’s one surgery at a time!
