More than two years ago we met Shu Zhi in Qiqihaer, China. Accompanied by her husband she stood in the back of the clinic day room wearing a face mask. At first glance nothing about her seemed particularly different from the rest of the patients in the hospital, until she shared her story with our team. Shu Zhi was born with a cleft lip and to avoid being stared at or poked fun of she began wearing a mask. Shu Zhi didn’t remember when she first started wearing a mask, but she had been hiding behind it for more than 40 years.
Interplast repaired Shu Zhi’s cleft lip and by doing so started a new chapter in her life, one that she never dreamed was possible.
Recently, Shu Zhi asked her children, who, like so many others in rural China, have left their family’s small farm to work in the city, to send us a picture of her now. Sporting a beautiful new red shirt, she wanted to once again thank Interplast and to share her and her family’s happiness.
We here at Interplast hope that you can share in their happiness, too. Thank you for helping us give patients like Shu Zhi a second chance at life.
Read the original story of when our team first met Shu Zhi here. You can also watch a short slideshow of Shu Zhi’s transformation here.
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