A Letter from Little Baby Face Patient Sandra Sierra
June 16, 2007
It has been months since I had the surgery, and ever since then, I have
been thinking of the right way to articulate the emotions that I thought
were necessary for everyone to know. I have gone to bed almost everyday
thinking of everything I want to say, and although there are many things
that I want to say, there are very few I can explain...to let everyone
to know the impact of their actions.
After the last meeting I had with Dr. Romo, (after he had taken the
staples out,) I walked the streets of New York, and the wind blew. I was
so excited later, telling my mom that I did not have to jerk immediately
to cover my ear with my hair. I cannot describe the emotions; the “pure
happiness” and “excitement for the future” just don’t cut it. They seem
like such small phrases compared to the sensations that I felt that very
moment.
I want to thank everyone for their help and generosity. All the people
at the Baby Face Foundation have been so generous...these trips have
meant more to me than anyone can imagine. The surgery has given me
confidence I never knew I had. Since the first surgery, my confidence
has grown, and although there were hard times, I had trust in Dr. Romo
and what he was doing. The first surgery was the hardest, but even when
I woke up, I knew good things were coming. I will be honest, there were
moments throughout my recuperation that it was hard to have faith, but I
kept reminding myself that the people who had surrounded me would not
let anything bad happen to me. I want to say that I did have faith in
everyone and their actions, and I thank everyone for it everyday. I do
believe that one of the most obvious lessons I have learned and have
been practicing for many months now is to be positive, to realize that
it is not the end of the world, and it has not only helped me deal with
the surgery, but to deal with the many obstacles I have in my life.
Thank you.
Something that astonished me about everyone I met in New York was the
absolute devotion to their jobs without anything in return. I always
knew that I should help people, something my mother always made sure I
knew, but it wasn’t until now that I realized that anything, whether it
is big or small, with or without money, is important for everyone.
Without knowing me and my situation, I was still offered help, and
offered things that I could only dream of. I have been through a lot of
hard times in my life, and to see strangers helping and supporting me
through life-changing events, I realized that it does not matter who you
are or what you have done, you must help other people as much as
possible.
I want to thank you all for your efforts to make this a reality for me;
my ear has been something that held me back, something that was always
in my head, as a dark cloud. Now, it is gone, and although I miss it
because I lived with it for 17 years, I am happy it is gone, so that I
can move on with my life; it feels like a new stage of my life. The last
day that I saw Dr. Romo, I walked out of that building, and something
was different. It was really weird, surreal.
...although I cannot pay you back, the lessons that I learned and the
confidence I have gained will never wither away; that everyone will stay
in my heart, and that no matter where I am, I will practice the lesson
of generosity that you all have taught me. Thank you for your incredible
kindness and allowing me a different view of life. I might not know all
the faces who have helped me, but your actions will stay in my heart
forever.
This has been an incredible event for me, and I will never stop thanking
everyone for their actions, and God for allowing this to happen.
- Thank you. Sandra Sierra |
