Even though Corazon’s parents actively sought out charity everywhere they could and presented Corazon to various missions, Corazon was never treated as she suffered from a heart condition which would make the surgery much more dangerous for Corazon. It is a cruel twist of fate that Corazon actually means heart.

When Corazon presented at our screening in 2005, this brave young girl was aware of the danger that surgery might present for her. When she told us that she was not afraid to die because she knew that she would go to heaven but that she wanted to become an angel with her lip closed, we felt compelled to see if there wasn’t a way for us to help Corazon.

Our surgical and anesthetic team was assisted by the local doctors and specialists of Caloocan to provide further diagnostic tests on Corazon and to create a strategy for her treatment which would allow Operation Restore Hope to confidently help Corazon realize her dream. We operated successfully on her lip in 2005 and managed to get sponsorship for Corazon to get orthodontic treatment.

In 2006 Corazon had a minor lip revision and had so enchanted the orthodontist with her warmth and spirit that she became employed in the practice. 2007 saw Corazon return to us to get her braces off her teeth and have dentures where no teeth were. Corazon also came to the hospital in 2007 to comfort the children and their parents and to sing to them at the closing ceremonies of our April 2007 mission.

We are blessed to have Corazon as a part of our Operation Restore Hope family and in the hospital sharing her love and courage with our patients.