Name: Lupita
Age: 4 years
Country: Mexico
"I was never ashamed of her appearance"
Lupita's mother Judith:
"I had an ultrasound during my pregnancy. The doctors said that my daughter would probably be born with a tumour on her face. I was terrified and kept it secret from everyone. So when she was born healthy, I was so incredibly relieved. That she had a cleft lip and palate didn't matter then.
I was never ashamed of her appearance. And it never crossed my mind to hide her face in any way. When I saw Lupita after her surgery, I was shocked. I didn't recognise her. It took me three months to get used to her new face. When my husband saw her, he cried tears of joy. She's his little princess.
She's changed so much since the surgery. She often looks at herself in the mirror as if she can't believe her eyes. She asks me if it's really her, Lupita. And then she says that she looks pretty now