In China, 14-year-old Xue Hui has grown up surrounded by supportive family members and neighbors. She was born just 30 minutes before her twin brother, but when her mother realized Xue Hui had a cleft lip, she began to cry. Her mother had seen other children with a cleft lip and knew that life would be difficult for her child.

For years her family saved money to pay for surgery to repair Xue Hui’s cleft. When she was 7 years old her family finally saved enough money to take her to the hospital. They traveled for more than two hours by bus to get there, but were not cleared for surgery because Xue Hui was sick and had a high fever. They tried several more times over the years to get surgery for their daughter, but each time the family saved enough money, her twin brother would get sick and the family had to spend the money they saved for Xue Hui to get care for her brother.

One day, Xue Hiu’s father, a coal miner, got a call from local government officials telling him that an Operation Smile medical mission would take place and they would be providing free surgeries to repair cleft lip and cleft palates. He immediately left work and went to Xue Hui’s middle school to pick her up. They both got on the bus and once again made the more than two hour journey to the mission site.

Upon arriving at the hospital for medical evaluation, Xue Hui was hopeful. Her father called her mother, who came to the medical mission site immediately. After undergoing a comprehensive medical examination, Xue Hui was selected for surgery.

After years of waiting, Xue Hui finally received surgery to repair her cleft lip. Her mother was very happy and so thankful to the medical volunteers who made her daughter’s surgery possible. Xue Hui is more excited than ever to return home to her friends and to show her twin brother her beautiful new smile.