Baby Odilon - Cleft Lip/Palate Repair
- Baby Odilon couldn't feed properly because of his deformed mouth.
- After nearly seven weeks of supervised care and feeding, Odilon weighed enough to undergo surgery.
- His successful surgery gives him a chance for a "normal" life.
Faithful to her son despite the opposition
When her aunt delivered the tiny bundle, it cried like a healthy baby should, but 19-year-old Edwige could tell by her aunt’s expression that something was wrong. When she looked at the newborn placed in her arms, Edwige began to cry.
“Is this the baby I gave birth to?” she asked her aunt. The wee boy had a bilateral cleft lip and palate.
Despite her initial shock, Edwige’s motherly instincts took hold, and she accepted her son lovingly. She named him Odilon. For a few hours, an exhausted mother and her child slept peacefully. Then, just as quickly as Odilon had entered the world, their troubles began.
Edwige’s mother-in-law inspected young Odilon with revulsion. Because of his cleft, she called Odilon evil and inhuman. She encouraged her son, Edwige’s husband, to leave her to avoid bringing shame upon the family.
Cared for onboard the Africa Mercy
When Odilon's mother made the long and arduous journey to the Africa Mercy, Odilon weighed a mere 2.5 kg. He was in such bad condition that the medical staff onboard the ship thought he would not survive for more than a few days. After nearly seven weeks of care and proper feeding, he weighed 3.7 kg, and the doctors gave the go-ahead for his surgery.
After a successful operation, Odilon slept quietly on his bed, sucking on the new fleshy formation of his upper lip. With the help of Mercy Ships, little Odilon underwent a miraculous transformation that brought him back from the brink of starvation and gave him a chance at a normal life.
