VOA常速英语2007年-'Operation Smile' Changes Faces, Lives

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi, Kenya
26 December 2007
 

Operation Smile is an international group of medical professionals who perform reconstructive surgery, free of charge, for children with facial deformities. This year, Operation Smile commemorated¹ its 25th anniversary by conducting simultaneous medical missions across the globe. Cathy Majtenyi caught up with the team in Nairobi, Kenya and files this report for VOA.

Millicent Akinyi and her five-month-old daughter Olivia Achieng are among hundreds of people who have come to Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi seeking help.

Olivia was born with a double cleft² palate and cleft lip. Akinyi describes her initial reaction to Olivia's condition. "I was shy. I thought that my husband would beat me because the first time, I was using family planning. When I went home I was stranded³ because he may beat me that I am the one who caused this thing. When he came to the hospital, in fact, I refused to come home."

The Operation Smile team records Olivia's medical information and gets her parents' consent, takes her picture, and examines her before deciding that she is eligible⁴ to receive the surgery.

The big day has arrived. Olivia is being prepared for surgery. Surgeons work on her for more than two hours. Then it is off to the recovery unit.

Millicent Akinyi is thrilled with the results. She says, "I was happy because she is now good, she looks smart."

Olivia was one of 381 patients in three clinics in Kenya whom doctors treated for cleft lips, cleft palates, burns and other facial deformities during Operation Smile's World Journey of Smiles medical missions in mid-November.

The clinics in Kenya were among 40 sites in 25 countries that participated in the commemorative medical missions.

Twenty-five years ago, plastic surgeon Dr. Bill Magee and his wife Kathy, a former nurse and clinical social worker, founded Operation Smile in the United States.

The organization consists of some 5,000 doctors, nurses, counselors⁵, and other professionals around the world. They volunteer their time to conduct surgeries in periodic clinics in 25 countries.

Plastic surgeon Ankur Pandya is one of the volunteers. He explains his involvement with Operation Smile. "I was diagnosed with cancer in 2004 and I underwent chemotherapy very successfully. I wanted to give back, and I have been involved ever since."

Julia Kibe is a nurse and the clinical coordinator⁶ of the Kenyan mission. She has been with Operation Smile since it started in Kenya 20 years ago. She says a major accomplishment⁷ has been dispelling⁸ myths about facial deformities. "This is a deformity, maybe [caused by] nutritional⁹ [deficiencies]. It is not a curse. It is not a bad spell. So they bring the kids out for [surgery]. And once they are done, they go and tell the others that this thing can be done, 'look at my child,' so do not hide them anymore."

In addition to providing free surgeries, the Operation Smile trains local medical professionals and donates equipment so that treatment can continue on a more regular basis.

And that makes a world of difference to people who can now face the future with new confidence.

1 commemorated   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Lincoln commemorated the soldiers killed in the battle in his address. 林肯在演说中表扬阵亡将士。 来自辞典例句
• You'll be commemorated for killing a spy, and be specially discharged. 你们每杀一个间谍将会被记录到特殊档案。 来自电影对白

2 cleft   

n.裂缝；adj.裂开的

参考例句：

• I hid the message in a cleft in the rock.我把情报藏在石块的裂缝里。
• He was cleft from his brother during the war.在战争期间，他与他的哥哥分离。

3 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

4 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

5 counselors   

n.顾问( counselor的名词复数 )；律师；（使馆等的）参赞；（协助学生解决问题的）指导老师

参考例句：

• Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs. 顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We have experienced counselors available day and night. ) 这里有经验的法律顾问全天候值班。） 来自超越目标英语 第4册

6 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

7 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

8 dispelling   

v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He succeeded in dispelling our suspicious and won our confidence. 他终于消除了我们的怀疑，得到了我们的信任。 来自辞典例句
• Truth is a torch, which can pierce the mist without dispelling it. 真理是一个火炬，不用驱散大雾，其火炬即能透过。 来自互联网

9 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。