Even while on Spring Break, Dr. Yan Razdolsky and two of his children who are in dental school can’t escape the importance of healthy smiles.
Dr. Razdolsky, his wife Anna, and their children Elizabeth and Ricky recently traveled to Park City, Utah. While there, Operation Smile held its annual Park City Celebrity Ski & Smile Challenge.
This star-packed event included Taylor Kinney and his fiancé Lady Gaga, Julianne Hough, Evan Ross, Brooke Burke-Charvet, Julie Bowen and Kate Walsh, among others. It was the celebs against Olympic skiers on the slopes at Utah Olympic Park in several dual ski races to support Operation Smile.
Operation Smile is a nonprofit organization that provides surgical correction of cleft lip and cleft palate to children in middle- to low-income countries. Founded in 1982 by Dr. Bill Magee Jr., a plastic surgeon, and his wife Kathy, a nurse and clinical social worker, this international medical charity has developed a network of thousands of credentialed medical volunteers from more than 80 countries. They have performed more than 220,000 free surgical procedures for children and young adults from more than 60 countries who were born with cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities.
In addition to providing surgeries, Operation Smile also donates medical equipment and supplies, and provides year-round medical treatments through its worldwide centers.
Operation Smile’s mission is an important one to Dr. Razdolsky. Each year in the United States, 2,650 babies are born with a cleft palate and 4,440 babies are born with a cleft lip with or without a cleft palate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Throughout his career, Dr. Razdolsky has provided orthodontic treatment to hundreds of children who required it after surgical correction of cleft lip and/or palate.
“These surgeries and subsequent orthodontic treatment mean the world to affected children and their families,” Dr. Razdolsky says. “Kids don’t want to be treated differently because of the way they look. It is rewarding to watch their self-esteem improve as we improve their smiles.”
Dr. Razdolsky and Anna were elated to learn that the Park City Celebrity Ski & Smile Challenge helped raise awareness and funds to continue the organization’s mission.
As you may recall, Anna is doing her part to raise awareness about the importance of oral health by publishing her first children’s book earlier this year. She also is working on a second book.
We invite you to learn more about Operation Smile by visiting the organization’s website. If you would like to get a copy of Anna’s book, “The Smile Team,” click here. A portion of proceeds from the book sales will benefit organizations that promote beautiful and healthy smiles for children.
