Lesly and her son, Alexander

By Shaili Patel, (High School Junior with extensive Interface volunteer hours (2023,2024,2025,2026).

When Lesly first delivered her newborn son, Alexander, she noticed a small cleft on his lip that she previously was not informed of. This, despite her overwhelming joy, filled her with worry.

That’s when a doctor informed her about a volunteer group called InterFace Kids, and team of healthcare providers who travel to Mexicali twice a year to provide free reconstructive surgeries for people in need. The doctor encouraged her to bring Alexander when the team returned – and that advice changed both of their lives.

Alexander and Lesly have come to the InterFace Kids clinic three times, each time bringing a step forward in his healing journey, and resulting in a beautiful repair of his cleft lip, creating a feeling of overwhelming joy for his family. Each surgery built upon the last, improving not just his appearance, but his ability to speak, eat, and thrive.

This year Alexander and his mother returned for speech therapy, an important part of his recovery that Lesly trusted to be given by our healthcare providers. Our translator interprets as Lesly begins to tear up and shares her gratitude and overwhelming joy she had each time she returned to the clinic. She continuously thanks the providers for the positive impact they have had on Alexander, and her family’s lives.

Every transformation like Alexander’s is made possible by the compassion and generosity of others. InterFace Kids operates entirely through donations and volunteers – people who give their time, skill, and resources to bring hope to families who otherwise would have to go without care. For Lesly, these volunteers and subsequent donations mean the world, because it gave her family and son the opportunity to improve their quality of life, which they would not have been able to do otherwise.