A new smile, and a new life for a 16-month-old
World’s top cleft surgeon heals Seda’s broken smile by Paul Chaderjian Lusnaghbyur, Armenia - For the Galstyan-Davtyan family in this remote village near Gyumri, life has been more difficult than the usual post-earthquake struggle for survival. Sixteen months ago, the family's new bride, Pepron Yeghoyan, gave birth to a baby girl; the newborn, Seda Davtyan, had a cleft palate and cleft lip. The Galstyan-Davtyan family's journey from the maternity ward to Dr. Les Mohler's operating room at the Arabkir Medical Center in Yerevan this week has been a test of their faith, a daily struggle to keep Seda alive, keep her nourished, keep her from choking on milk, and protect her from the public. Often, on their way to doctors or to pick up government-allocated baby formula, ignorant folk would react with such insensitivity that family members would be left in tears. "When Seda was born, I couldn't even hold the child after birth. I had not heard of ...