Andres - Sinaloa, MexicoRosa's Thank You Letter to CCSS tells of a mother's journey. One that was filled with sorrows, pain and frustration, lasting more than 11 years. It all begins the moment that her baby Andres is born, and Rosa sees his deformed little face. Immediately she began her long journey looking for help and in the process, her hopes will be raised many times only to be disappointed again and again.
Many parents in Rosa’s area had never had any contact with medical institutions that could provide services and operations for free. Rosa thought her prayers for her son had finally been answered.
Andres had his face reconstructed at age 11 by a CCSS plastic surgery team, at Harbor View hospital in San Diego. When Rosa saw Andres with his new face, she could hardly believe her eyes. She said, "I never thought it would turn out so good". What she wrote in her letter, that touched me so, was that "She never believed her son would ever receive such an operation, for free!" Andres' mother realized that even though the operation had been without cost to them, they still received the very best surgery possible.
The before and after pictures show this miracle transformation.
Just look at his eyes, talk about a picture being worth a thousand
words...maybe ten thousand words in this case.
In 2002 we marked thirty years of service in providing surgery and specialized care. In the beginning, it was very difficult, but we gave our best service possible to these poor people. As CCSS grew, we received more and more offers from surgeons and medical institutions who were willing to donate their skills and services.
Through our donor generosity we have provided surgery for over 14,000 children, most of whom were babies when we did their first operation. We have maintained an average cost of $200 per surgery. The surgeries you are sponsoring are performed according to the highest medical standards, and your gift will last a lifetime.
Is CCSS's work finished? No, it is only the beginning. We have more opportunities today than at any time in our history. New invitations continue to come, asking for CCSS surgery teams to come to their areas. We will do the best we can to help these unfortunate children.
Thank you for helping us to continue.
