For one Honduran teen-ager, however, a childhood accident made it difficult to smile and, worse, to be able to eat enough food to survive.
Lillian Orellano-Valle was 5 years old when she was kicked in the face by a horse. Her mother Romelia Orellano-Valle took young Lillian to the capital city of Tegucigalpa for medical care.
"She didn't know if her (Lillian's) jaw was broken or anything," Rose Marshall said. In Honduras, a democratic republic in Central America, medical care is scarce. The country is still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which set progress in the country back at least 50 years. It destroyed about 70 percent of the crops and an estimated 70-80 percent of the transportation infrastructure, including nearly all bridges and secondary roads.
Lillian underwent surgery to help repair her jaw, which involved putting a large metal plate in her face. As Lillian grew, the bones in her jaw began to grow over the plate. According to Dr. Jeffrey Rice of DuBois, who opened a clinic in Hondudras about a year ago, Lillian's upper and lower jaws became fused together and she could only open her mouth a few inches.
"I didn't think it was as bad as it turned out to be," Rice said. "I thought she was having trouble opening her mouth because of the pain." Rice said Lillian was referred to his clinic by Global Health. He said another surgeon had begun the process of bringing Lillian and her mother to the United States but was unable to follow through.
Rice said Lillian also developed a serious infection.
"The bone plates became infected and she literally had been draining puss out through her face for years. She was in serious danger of becoming septic," he said.
"If something hadn't been done, this girl would have died very soon," Colleen Keltz said. Keltz was one of 29 people who went on a mission trip to Honduras Sept. 27 through Oct.. 5. The group, made up of members of the Lakeside United Methodist and Tri-County Churches, spent a week at the medical clinic in Honduras.
Lillian, now 16, was in desperate need of medical attention. Her inability to eat had become so severe that she weighed only 88 pounds. When Rice saw Lillian, he knew he had to do something. Using his own money and skill, he made arrangements to have Lillian and her mother brought to the United States where they stayed with Marshall, who spoke Spanish and acted as an interpreter.
"I was supposed to go on the mission trip but God said no," Marshall said. Marshall's son died and she was unable to go. However, she was contacted by Lucy Taylor, who told her about Lillian and her mother. Marshall offered to have them stay in her home.
Lillian had two surgeries, one on Oct. 15 and the second Oct. 22. The large plate was removed from her jaw and the existing bone was rebuilt. Before coming to the United States, Lillian was given antibiotics to help fight the infection.
"Originally, Dr. Rice was going to use a rib to help rebuilt her jaw but he was really worried about her getting another infection," Keltz said.
Rice said the surgery went well and the infection is almost cleared up. He said he has done a lot of work out of the clinic in Honduras but this is the first time he has brought someone to the U.S. for treatment.
"I've done a lot of work there but this surgery was just beyond our capabilities," Rice said.
"It was amazing," Marshall said. "She came out of surgery and the first thing did was open her mouth and she just smiled. She was so happy just to be able to do that one small thing."
When Lillian had healed from her surgery, Keltz and Marshall wanted to make sure she had time to experience life in the United States. Keltz daughter Taylor developed a strong friendship with Lillian despite the language barrier. The girls watched movies with Spanish subtitles, they went to the mall to have Lillian's hair and nails done and did many of the things a typical teen-ager does.
"She loved pizza, so we ate a lot of pizza while she was here." Marshall said. "She couldn't even open her mouth enough chew gum and now she's able to eat so many things she couldn't have before."
Lillian visited the DuBois Area High School, which was quite an experience.
"In her school, there's 70 students and there's about 1,300 students at the high school. I was trying to explain it to her mother and she just couldn't believe it," Keltz said. She said Lillian was nervous about going but there was a foreign exchange student who was able to act as an interpreter.
"She told me once that we (in the U.S) have so much," Marshall said. "I told her we were a very giving country. We have so much because we are able to give back to people who don't have much."
"I really think we got more out of it than they did," Keltz said. "They have pride, integrity and family when here so many families are torn apart."
Rice, Marshall, and Keltz have mixed opinions on who the true hero is for Lillian.
"I did a few hours of surgery, they (Marshall and Keltz) are the ones who really came through for her and made her feel at home. They really formed a bond with her."
"He refuses to take credit for what he did," Marshall said. "He has the knowledge and the skill and he uses it to do God's work."
Lillian and her mother have returned home to Honduras but Rice said he will be going back to the clinic Dec. 6 to check on her progress.
For more information about Rice's clinic call Riccardo Castro at 469-939-6825
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