From Patient to Caregiver: Angieleca Hayahay's Story
She's a highly sought-out nurse who uses her own experiences to comfort cleft patients and their families.
![Angel checks IV bag](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2__720x480/public/2023-02/stph-angel-iv.jpg?itok=klkq9EM5)
Angieleca was refused a job at a call center because of that company’s strict anti-cleft hiring policy.
![Angel comforts patient](/sites/default/files/2023-02/stph-angel-w-patient.jpg)
But Angieleca persevered and became a nurse in 2009, working with Philippine Band of Mercy, the very same people who, with the help of Smile Train, repaired her cleft and inspired her to become a nurse.
![Angel helps cleft patients after surgery](/sites/default/files/2023-02/stph-angel-working.jpg)
Angieleca has become a highly sought nurse who uses her own experiences to comfort cleft patients and their families.
![Angel holds image of herself before cleft lip surgery](/sites/default/files/2023-02/stph-angel-holds-before.jpg)
Our impact in the Philippines
as of February 2023
64,000+
cleft surgeries sponsored since 2001
80+
active partner surgeons
125+
active partner hospitals