Elouan Biwole
14, Dorset
“A smile is not about showing perfect full lips and straight white teeth as adverts portray. Every smile tells a unique story.”
The surgeries Elouan had as an infant were so successful that he didn’t even know he had a cleft until he turned seven. His scars are so faint, his braces so “normal”, that he says no one has ever commented on them. Elouan could have left it at that, but instead he decided to learn more about his condition.
Elouan felt a connection with other children who were born with a cleft and a keen responsibility to spread his good fortune. He started fundraising for Smile Train UK and has already helped save the lives of countless children.
“Nobody deserves to be made fun of, excluded, or discriminated against because of a birth defect or any part of who they are and how they were born,” he says. “In fact, those who have overcome health problems from birth deserve a lot of respect and empathy.”
