Maria is cheerful and smart, she loves dancing and swimming, attends pre-school education courses and is doing good at mathematics.

One could never tell she had any health problems, and yet the girl was born with a malformation of anterior palate. This disorder made it difficult for her to talk and eat: when swallowing, some of the food or water could enter the respiratory tract through the cleft of the palate, which imposed strict limitations upon the daily routine of the child.

Fortunately, the Israeli surgeons took on Maria’s case and managed to fix her problem. The complex intervention took place on February, 20 in Tel Aviv. It lasted for three hours and required the most careful attention of the surgeons.

Dr. David Leshem reported a favourable outcome of the treatment. He says there are no complications and the girl will not need any more interventions.

By February, 22, Maria already felt well enough to leave the hospital, and on March, 7 the girl and her Mom returned to Russia after a final consultation. Maria will now attend follow-up speech therapy sessions which will help restore her verbal function.