Cleft Awareness Week: Sue’s Tremendous Trek

In April 2023, long-term supporter and Cleft Community Advisory Council member Sue Maughan climbed the heights of Machu Picchu, Peru for Smile Train UK and took to the wards of Smile Train partner hospital Clinica Montesur in Lima to see first-hand how her fundraising is life-changing for cleft-affected children around the world. Here is what she had to say.

Machu Picchu was always somewhere I wanted to see in person, and so once I realised the challenge that faced us to get there, I knew it was an opportunity not only to spread the word about Smile Train's work, but also to ask people to sponsor me. I thought that would give me just the push I needed to achieve my goal.

I called on the support of two close friends to join me, and we set about fundraising and training for the trip. 

The effects of altitude can challenge the fittest of trekkers. It can take your breath away after just a few yards, cause your head to bang, and make your stomach turn at the sight of the delicious food that is presented to you every few hours. 

At these times, the thought of letting down those who have sponsored you keeps you going, and once you enter through the Sun Gate and see Machu Picchu from afar and take in the enormousness of this sacred site, it is all worthwhile.

Whilst trekking with the team of porters that supported us, I was able to talk to them about the work Smile Train does and share before-and-after pictures of children that we have helped. As these porters live remotely in the mountains, they can act as our eyes and ears to find children that may need our help, so spreading the word with them is a great outreach opportunity.

Combining the trek with a visit to a partner hospital in Lima gave us the opportunity to speak to parents of children about to undergo cleft surgery. It was especially emotional for me, as all the fears the mothers had in handing over their precious child to the care of a surgeon were the same feelings I had when passing over my son to the doctors in the UK 14 years ago.

I take photos of Dan, my son with a cleft, on all my fundraising trips to show the mothers the journey he has been on in a bid to reassure them that the procedure is the best thing for their child.

One of Smile Train’s partners in Peru is Mision Caritas Felices, a non-profit association made up of local volunteers that focusses on helping low-income people with clefts. They are passionate about what they do and genuinely care deeply for each and every one of their patients. They are facing a backlog of surgeries due to COVID-19, but they are working tirelessly to catch up. It was not lost on us that they still found time to accommodate our visit, and it was hugely appreciated.

It is a privilege to be a Smile Train Ambassador, and I would encourage anyone that is able to visit a partner hospital to see the work for themselves.

Remember... the best views come after the hardest climb.