Sunday, March 27, 2011

Nur's New Smile

Smiles can fill your heart.  And right now my heart is full.

In his short stay in Virginia, my newest friend, Nur, made a profound impact on many lives, including myself.

Nur's life began in utter sadness.  He was born in a village in Assam, India with a very severe cleft.  A cleft that went from his lip to his eyes, causing him to only have half a nose and eyes that were pulled down.  He experienced abandonment and shame as soon as he was born, with his father deserting the family because of his son's facial deformity.  His father returned to the family a year later, but life was not easy for Nur.  School became unbearable so he had stopped attending early on. At such a young age, he experienced bullying, isolation, and shame, all because of the way he looked.

His uncle Nasi said that they visited many doctors in India, but all said there was nothing they could do for Nur's deformity.  They would not attempt to repair his cleft because they said it was not possible. Despite this, Nur's uncle and his family did not give up hope that Nur would one day be helped.

HOPE is a powerful thing.

In February 2010, Nasi heard about Operation Smile and that they were coming to Guwahati, India to help those affected with clefts.  He informed Nur's parents, and they decided to bring Nur to Guwahati that month to see if he could finally be helped.  They had to travel 190 kilometers (nearly 120 miles); this may not seem like a long distance but with the road conditions in India, it took more than five hours to travel to the medical mission site.  While there at the site, Nur was evaluated by many volunteer medical professionals and by Dr. Bill Magee, co-founder of Operation Smile. Dr. Magee said the magic words that Nur and his family had been hoping for, "Operation Smile could help Nur" but they would have to bring him to the United States.

Fast forward to September 2010, where I was fortunate to meet this little boy, Nur, when he arrived in Virginia Beach, VA. Initially, he was quiet, shy, and reserved with all he met, but once he realized that we were all so happy to meet him and were all there to support and help him, he quickly opened up.  Within was a bright, intelligent, sweet, courageous, energetic young boy.  He may be one of the smartest eight year old children I have ever met.  In less than a month he had learned the English alphabet, was counting to 10 - 20 - 30..., and was writing his name and other words.  Each and every moment, Nur was taking it all in, and repeatedly amazing us by his ability to learn so quickly, mostly from his own observation.

Over the next six months, Nur transformed from a boy whose deep sadness you could see in his eyes, to a boy whose energy, spirit and smile brightened the room.  It is amazing to notice a smile on the inside, just by looking at someone's eyes.  Not only was I lucky to see Nur's new smile on the outside, but I saw the smile that was on the inside; I saw his new smile in his eyes.

During his stay, Nur, Nasi and I made many visits to local schools (a few high schools and more than 15 elementary schools).  Each visit, Nur opened up more and more.  By the last presentation, he was helping me by clicking through each power point slide and playing a few tricks too (putting his hand in front of the projector light to make shadows on the board or disappearing into the crowd of students like he was a classmate listening in on the presentation too, instead of standing up front with me).

His story, his charm, and his strong desire to be normal just like the other students allowed him to become an immediate super star at every visit.  He received so many high fives, hand shakes, and even hugs. Each school welcomed him with open arms, a much different environment than his school back at home.  To witness his transformation and the transformation of the other students, who set aside physical differences to accept this boy and treat him like a classmate and a friend, was truly touching.


Though he says he wishes to be a doctor one day, I think he may also have a chance at professional basketball.  At schools, the students would crowd around as he sank hoop after hoop! Out in the soccer field, he held his own with 4th and 5th graders, all bigger in size and a few years older.  It didn't phase Nur at all.  He tried each and every game, and showed us that he was also quite the jump roper and monkey bar climber:)  Each school closed the visit with special gifts for Nur, as if the visit alone wasn't special enough.  By the time Nur had to begin packing for his return home, he had tons of school t-shirts,  hats, pens, notepads, jump ropes, balls, games, and more.  All special momentos for him to cherish always and remember the hundreds of students he met.






Nur made a profound impact on my life.  I witnessed an amazing example of the human spirit, what it can endure, and how through the compassion and kindness of so many, a life can be changed forever.  It was a bittersweet farewell to send Nur and Nasi back to their home and family in India, as they both had become family to so many here.  They touched so many lives in their short stay.


My life has been touched by this little boy and his uncle, and all who have donated their time, talents, energy and kindness to help restore a smile, inside and out.

1 comment:

  1. THAT'S INCREDIBLE, HE'S A VERY FORTUNATE BOY AND WILL PROBABLY BE SOMEONE GREAT ONE DAY.. WELL MORE THAN HE ALREADY IS.

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