The power of Sharing Smiles: AdventHealth doctors volunteer to help restore hope to children in need, and you can help

ORLANDO, Fla. — For nearly 30 years, AdventHealth Foundation Central Florida’s Sharing Smiles initiative has transformed lives in Latin America by providing free cleft palate surgeries to children in need. These surgeries restore more than smiles — they renew hope, connection and joy for families in underserved communities.

“A smile is our defining feature,” explains Dr. Raj Sawh-Martinez, chief of pediatric plastic surgery at AdventHealth for Children, and a volunteer surgeon with Sharing Smiles. “It’s how we introduce ourselves to the world. It’s the bond between a mom and a baby. It’s really our handshake to the world through our face.”

“We work hard to develop the infrastructure so that eventually, we’re not needed,” Sawh-Martinez said. The program partners with local surgeons to train them and combine expertise to ensure sustainable care after the AdventHealth team leaves.

Preparation for each mission is meticulous, with the Central Florida team bringing all necessary equipment, including stitches, instruments, and medications.

“We typically bring everything from AdventHealth,” says Dr. Joseph Lopez, chief of pediatric head and neck surgery, who also volunteers with Sharing Smiles. In the last country they volunteered in Campeche, Mexico, the team performed up to 60 surgeries in just five days, often working 12-hour shifts.

“It takes an entire village to make sure one child has the opportunity for surgery,” Lopez adds. Local partners play a key role by spreading the word through Facebook, radio, and TV, ensuring children from remote towns have an opportunity to be evaluated and considered for treatment.

“Having the ability to create a smile for a child who can’t smile – it really touches your heart when you see the eyes of the parents after you do the repair,” said Lopez.

“Seeing that smile restored — there’s no greater feeling in the world. And all of us who go on these trips, our lives are forever changed,” said Swah-Martinez.

Help Bring Smiles to More Children

With Giving Tuesday just around the corner, there’s no better time to help create more smiles.

Click on the link to support AdventHealth Foundation’s Sharing Smiles initiative and help transform lives and bring hope and happiness to children in need — one smile at a time.