the hardest part is, operation smile can't possibly operate on all these children this week. more than 500 kids have come here for screening, most of them from miles and miles away. but we'll only be able to help about 100 children, this trip. >> dr. bill magee: why should any child, anywhere on this planet, have to live a life of misery because someone isn't there to take care of them? there is no justice in that. [ music ] [ children laughing ] >> roma downey: ngan, who's 3, has a beautiful smile, but it wasn't always this way. she was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate. last year, operation smile repaired her lip and she's back now to have surgery on her palate. [ music ] [ loudspeaker in foreign language ]

this is the day everyone's been waiting for. hundreds of families have been gathered here in the hot sun since very early this morning, after having spent the last two nights on the floor in the hospital. they're hoping and praying to hear their child's name called, to hear that they've been selected for surgery. they've been calling out children's names for over an hour now, and the families that haven't been called are getting worried. you can feel the tension and anxiety in the air. [ calling names in foreign language ] that's sut! i'm so happy he's been chosen. he's eager, he's old enough to understand how this will change his life. [ calling names in foreign language ] there's our little guy, son. his mom must be so relieved.

now he'll have his chance to be normal, just like all the other boys in the village. [ speaking in foreign language ] that's it. no more names to be called. they've also posted the list, so now the parents are double-checking, hoping against hope that they missed hearing their name called. [ foreign language ] [ music ] witnessing the process of selection here, i find myself drawn to the faces of the mothers. as a mother myself, i was deeply impacted, first, by the anxiety and the anticipation and the hope of having come this far and hoping that their child's name would be called. knowing that, what stands between your name being called out or not being called out, is a question of money. it seems rather simple then, that i should stand here

and ask you to look into your heart and to do something to help us, to help them. so please, call now. because together, we can make miracles happen. >> announcer: you can provide a complete surgery for one waiting child right now, by becoming an operation smile partner. it costs only $240. or, if you prefer, you can pledge $20 a month. your gifts will help send our teams and equipment all year round and help ensure that we can provide surgery, free of charge, to every child in need, so no child has to be turned away. thousands of children are waiting. please, go to your phone now. help us change lives, one smile at a time. [ music ] [ children laughing ]

>> roma downey: sut's one of the first children to have surgery this morning and he's ready to go! >> come on, whoo! here we go! [ background talking ] [ music ] >> roma downey: sut just took a look at the operating room. i guess he's having second thoughts! but he's in very good hands. [ music ] >> dr. lawrence kurtzman: i got involved with operation smile way back in 1987, just a few years after it started. i thought i'd go for a few trips. i thought i'd see another culture and here i am, 15 years later, 20 missions later, 500 children later, and still loving every child that i take care of and still planning on going for the next 15 years

and operating on 500 more children. >> roma downey: sut's mom is waiting right outside the door. this must be very frightening for her. [ music ] >> dr. lawrence kurtzman: we come to these countries halfway we bring everything, from the dequipment for the anesthesia, to all the sutures, and all the equipment we need, we want to make this absolutely, 100% as safe as the united states and the quality we want just as high. it's incredible, in 45 minutes, i can operate on a child and take him from someone who's shunned from society, someone who doesn't go to school, someone who was ostracized, to someone who's a normal, fun-loving, great kid, who you'd be proud of to be your own child. [ music ] >> roma downey: to see a mother's face light

up when she sees her child's face transformed, the gratitude beyond words, that's the only reward that's needed. [ music ] >> noreen kessler: they come out and you just see a whole new person, a whole new beginning. it's almost like they're reborn. and it's just, it's, i can't think of another word but phenomenal. >> dr. bill magee: a child is the only language that we all have in common. it really doesn't matter what your race, your color, your creed, your culture. what matters is that we all use our energies, and our talents.

we've got the tools, we've got the hands, we've got the bodies. now we just need all of us to participate and then the world really will change. i was talking to sut's mom before surgery, and she told me that, after surgery, no one will call him sut anymore, because sut means hair lip. from now on, she said, he'll go by his real name, which is thanh, and that means blue sky. i told thanh after surgery, from now on, the sky is the limit. he's a great kid. >> [foreign language]. >> are you going to be a doctor now? [ speaking in foreign language ] [ children ] [ music ] >> roma downey: son is getting ready to go into surgery now. of all the moms i've met here,

i feel truly connected to son's mother. even though we don't speak the same language, she's so expressive and she wears her heart on her sleeve. >> he's going to be so beautiful. >> dr. bill magee: so let me mark that right there. and i want to make a little triangle here. so it's very important to get it now. one of the most important things that we have the opportunity to do on the trip is share knowledge. when we first came to vietnam in 1988, they proudly told me that 1,000 children had been treated with cleft since 1951. but now, with the armies of people that we've mobilized around the world and here in vietnam, in just a little over 10, 12 years, they've done 27,000 on their own, because of that stimulus. [ music ]

>> roma downey: oh, my goodness. that's, it really is one of the most beautiful things that i have ever, ever experienced, next to the birth of my daughter, to see his little face restored. you know, the next amazing thing will be when we bring his mother in. she was so worried about him outside. you can only imagine how anxious she must be to be reunited with him. as a mother myself, i'm like in major identification with her at this point. it's all i can do not just to, you know, run out there and drag her in. but they have to wait for the baby to recover a wee bit from the operation. [ music ]

>> isn't he beautiful? why don't you sit down and i'll give you time. there, okay. okay. [ laughter ] [ music ] [ child talking in foreign language ] >> son's mom: it is unbelievable that this day has come because we are poor, we could not even dream of this day. this is the happiest day of our lives. my precious boy. now you will be handsome. you won't be different any more. >> dr. bill magee: your heart has to feel it first and then you can say to yourself, what if i just gave

up lunch tomorrow and gave those dollars to some kid who didn't have a chance at life? then you become as important a part of this team as i am or any other surgeon. because of you, we've been able to change the life of some child, somewhere, who may never know your name, but will never forget your kindness. [ child speaking in foreign language ] [ music ] >> roma downey: the change in thanh's life since the surgery is amazing. his smile just beams and it's easy to see why. he's going to school now and has lots of friends. thanh's life has been transformed, thanks to operation smile and friends like you. >> announcer: they're ridiculed, rejected, sometimes even hidden away.

every year, over 200,000 children around the world are born with cleft lip or cleft palate, into families who cannot afford the surgery to repair it. you can provide a complete surgery for one waiting child right now, by becoming an operation smile partner. it costs only $240, just $240 to transform a child's life. over 5,000 of the world's top doctors and nurses are standing by to voluntr their time. most of the medical supplies are donated. we're ready to go to more countries and reach more children, but we can't do it without your help. that's why it's so important that you call right now. your gift of $240 will provide surgery for a waiting child. or, if you prefer, you can pledge $20 a month. your gifts will help send our teams

and equipment all year round and help ensure that we can provide surgery, free of char, to every child in need, so no child has to be turned away. call now and become an operation smile partner. you'll receive inspiring before and after photos of children whose lives have been transformed. plus, we'll send you this album to keep your photos in and share with your friends and family. and you'll also receive information about how your dollars are being used and the difference you're making around the world. you can even give automatically on your credit card. it's convenient and it saves money so more goes directly to the kids. when you make your payment with your credit card, we'll send you this official operation smile scrub shirt as a special thank you for being a vital part of our team. >> sandra fields: i saw the difference that it made. and it just made me want to give. >> jeff jarvis: operation smile is a true ambassador

to what america means. >> deborah morrison: it's good when you're able to do something that you know is not wasteful at all, that for every penny you've invested, there is that equal return and more. >> vanessa krikland: can you imagine what that child's life is going to be like now? it's just an awesome thought. and you just raise your hand and you say, thank you, god. >> announcer: call now and join the operation smile team. just $240 can provide a surgery that will change a child's life forever. or a gift of any amount will help a waiting child get the surgery they so desperately need. >> lou lipofsky: do it because it will make your life richer. do it because you will be setting an example, as a role model for your children and your family. do it because it's the right thing to do. >> dr. bill magee: we need to do more, we need to be in more places, we need to help more kids. >> announcer: thousands of children are waiting.

please go to your phone now. help us change lives, one smile at a time. >> roma downey: i'm at a hospital in tegucigalpa, honduras. over 200 children are gathered here with very anxious parents, all hoping for a miracle. every one of these kids was born with a cruel deformity. all it takes is a 45-minute surgery to repair, but their parents are too poor to afford it. so, these kids are left to grow up ridiculed and rejected. for many of them, their dream is about to come true. they'll receive a free surgery provided by a wonderful organization called operation smile. [ music ]

hundreds of children and their parents have arrived at tegucigalpa's san felipe hospital hoping for surgery. over the next two days, this dedicated team of international volunteers will examine every girl and boy, but tragically, at least half of them will have to be turned away because there isn't enough time to operate on all of them. [ music ] jose's only 3, too young to understand the stares and taunts directed at him by others. but his mother, reina, knows how he'll suffer if he doesn't get surgery. she, herself, lived with a cleft lip until the age of 12. >> reina: all the children made fun of me. i couldn't bear to leave the house. they called me spit lip, broken lip and all kinds of things.

>> roma downey: reina finally received her surgery, but when her son was born with a cleft, she felt the nightmare was beginning all over again. [ speaking in foreign language ] >> reina: i was worried. everyone said he would not grow and that it would be a miracle if he lived. he suffered because he couldn't eat and even had trouble with the bottle. >> roma downey: to protect jose from ridicule, reina rarely took him out of the house. now, she prays, he'll be one of the children chosen this week for surgery. >> reina: i know if he gets the operation, it would be a dream come true, like it was for me. >> charlotte monroe: life in honduras, for a child with a cleft lip or a cleft palate is a life that starts with tragedy. they can't eat normally. they can't speak normally. they are made fun of because of their speech patterns.

they're malnourished because they can't eat. >> dr. ben hu: it's a tough life. there's a lot of shame involved and they don't go to school, they don't go outside, they're embarrassed to play. there was one girl that wouldn't even look up. >> dr. miriam parker: cleft lip and palate affects their speech, and therefore, people that don't, that live outside the family, would have difficulty understanding what the child is saying. oftentimes, eating becomes difficult as well, because the palate's open, and then food comes out of the nose. >> mel: they're hopeless, and they see us as their last resort. and oftentimes, that's what we are, their last resort. if we're not here, there's no one else that'll do it for them. >> dr. jill gora: every child deserves a fair chance at life, whether they're our own, or someone halfway across the world that we'll never see again, and these children that we meet on operation smile missions aren't even given that fair shot at life when they're born with a cleft, and it's up to us to help them.

>> roma downey: zenaida is a playful 4-year-old with a severely cleft lip and cleft palate. her father, juan, loves her dearly and he's determined to protect her. [ speaking in foreign language ] >> juan: with her lip like this, i won't let her go to school. she won't be able to talk well. they won't look at her kindly. i'll have to fight for her. >> roma downey: before zenaida, juan had never seen a child with a cleft lip, and neither had anyone else in his village. he traveled 11 hours to get to the hospital. [ speaking in foreign language ] >> juan: if she doesn't get her lip fixed, she won't get married either. if they heal her, i'll thank god. >> roma downey: during the two days of screening, even more people kept coming. now more than 300 children have been evaluated for surgery.

it's now saturday, and today, parents will find out if their trip was in vain. [ calling names in foreign language ] the team can only operate on half of the children this week. about 150 are turned away and will have to wait until another operation smile team comes back.

>> kathy magee: most of us are mothers or fathers. no one, i don't, you know, if it's my child, do you think i want to hear come back next year? i don't care where you live or who you are, no one is willing to accept that for their own child. one year without speaking, without eating? thousands of kids are born every year, thousands, all over the country, all over this world, we can change that, we can fix this problem. >> dr. jill gora: we all, in our hearts, want to be able to provile person but there simply isn't enough money for us to do that and, with the help of our donors, i'm hoping that one day, we never will have to turn anyone away. >> announcer: you can provide a complete surgery for one waiting child right now, by becoming an operation smile partner. it costs only $240. or, if you prefer, you can pledge $20 a month.

your gifts will help send our teams and equipment all year round and help ensure that we can provide surgery, free of charge, to every child in need, so no child has to be turned away. thousands of children are waiting. please, go to your phone now, help us change lives, one smile at a time. >> roma downey: as zenaida plays, juan is visibly nervous in the moments before surgery. [ music ] [ speaking in foreign language ] [ child crying ]

though he's a strong man, juan could not hold back his tears. it's hard to hand your precious baby off to a stranger. many of these parents have never even been to a hospital before. because she and her father traveled so far, doctors decided to repair zenaida's lip and palate all in one surgery, and also to do some minor reconstruction on her nose. juan must wait almost two hours while his daughter is being operated on. [ music ]

>> juan: this is what i wanted. i was hoping for this help that we were all waiting for. we are poor and we are receiving this help from you. i pray to god that you'll continue helping. [ rooster crowing ] [ music ] >> roma downey: here's zenaida today. she's just lovely and her father's so proud. [ music ] can you believe it's the same girl whose face had a gaping hole not long ago? [ music ] it's the final day of surgery. jose and reina have been waiting all week for their turn. [ music ] [ speaking in foreign language ]

[ clapping ] [ music ] it's hard to imagine how reina feels as she sees jose for the first time after surgery. but you can read the emotion on her face. [ music ] >> reina: i am so happy. [ music ]

i know that now, i will be able to take my boy out and that he won't have to be ridiculed. for me, it's such a great joy, such a beautiful feeling to see him like this. he is so handsome. [ music ] i am here with you, my love. it's okay. it's okay, baby. >> roma downey: life's so different now for reina and jose. without his cleft lip, jose's a normal boy, free to leave his house, make friends, go to school, all because of a simple surgery, all because some people, people like you, cared enough to help. [ music ] two-year-old onis and his mother,

maria, are desperately poor. this mission may be her boy's only chance to get the surgery he needs for his cleft lip and cleft palate. maria told us that when onis was born, the doctor didn't want to show him to her. she was thrilled when he was chosen for surgery, but now the time has come to hand onis over to the volunteer medical team, who will, for the next one and a half hours, work to give onis a new smile and a second chance at life. [ music ] it's such a thrill to share a mother's happiness after each life changing surgery. [ music ] i am a mother, too, so i understand, yeah,

and i have tears of joy for you, as a mother to a mother. this is the moment. this is the picture. this is what we're trying to achieve here. to give a beautiful, restored, baby boy back to his mom. so now, he can have a normal life like your children have, like my children have, and now like little onis will have, thanks to you. [ music ] look at this precious face! onis now has a big, beautiful smile. what a change.

what a miracle it is to see this child's life transformed. there's no limit to his potential now. >> kathy magee: i don't think anyone, in our country, wants to see a kid go without a life and to know that in 45 minutes to an hour, they can make a change in that life, they can speak, they can eat, they can go to school like their own children. i think, wow, that's the greatest thing that can ever happen to you. >> dr. bill magee: your heart has to feel it first and then you can say to yourself, what if i just gave up lunch tomorrow and gave those dollars to some kid who didn't have a chance at life? then you become as important a part of this team as i am or any other surgeon. because of you, we've been able to change the life of some child somewhere, who may never know your name but will never forget your kindness.

>> announcer: they're ridiculed, rejected, sometimes even hidden away. every year, over 200,000 children around the world are born with cleft lip or cleft palate into families who cannot afford the surgery to repair it. you can provide a complete surgery for one waiting child right now, by becoming an operation smile partner. it costs only $240, just $240 to transform a child's life. over 5,000 of the world's top doctors and nurses are standing by to volunteer their time. most of the medical supplies are donated. we're ready to go to more countries, and reach more children, but we can't do it without your help. that's why it's so important that you call right now. your gift of $240 will provide surgery for a waiting child. or, if you prefer, you can pledge $20 a month.

your gifts will help send our teams and equipment all year round and help ensure that we can provide surgery, free of charge, to every child in need, so no child has to be turned away. call now and become an operation smile partner. you'll receive inspiring before and after photos of children whose lives have been transformed. plus, we'll send you this album to keep your photos in and share with your friends and family. and you'lllso receive information about how your dollars are being used and the difference you're making around the world. you can even give automatically on your credit card. it's convenient and it saves money so more goes directly to the kids. when you make your payment with your credit card, we'll send you this official operation smile scrub shirt as a special thank you for being a vital part of our team. >> sandra fields: it's been a policy in our household for a long time, to give back.

>> jeff jarvis: it's something to feel good about, something to be proud of. >> lou liposfsky: the dollar is being used effectively because the doctors are donating their time. >> vanessa krikland: i just feel all the more blessed to see them happy, fulfilled, their parents are so grateful. it just, it's just wonderful. >> tammy sokol: i don't have to go to the movie one night, i don't have to go out for dinner, because i know that if i give, it's allowing a child to have something that i can give them. >> announcer: call now and join the operation smile team. just $240 can provide a surgery that will change a child's life forever. or a gift of any amount will help a waiting child get the surgery they so desperately need. >> you know, it's like, i can do this, i can help, and i just dropped everything and just went to the phone and i didn't want to do it for just one, so i said let me do it for two.

>> dr. bill magee: we need to do more, we need to be in more places, we need to help more kids. >> announcer: thousands of children are waiting. please, go to your phone now. help us change lives, one smile at a time. [ music >> roma downey: this is caritas hospital in venezuela. today, the operation smile volunteer medical team has come from around the world to perform free cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries. hundreds of parents have brought their children to get help, but the operation smile team doesn't have the time or money to operate on all of them. some of these kids will have to be turned away. arnoldo is 5. he should have had surgery shortly after birth,

but his parents could never afford it. he has trouble speaking and he feels ashamed when other kids make fun of him. >> arnoldo's mother: he said, why are those kids staring at me so much? it's hard to watch the way many children look at him. so he ducks and covers himself. >> roma downey: arnoldo has been praying every day that his lip will be healed. [ music ] >> dr. brent harris: i've seen some that have clefts on both sides, the upper jaw was almost sticking forward and you bring that together, it's amazing, just the difference you see right after the surgery. [ vocalizations ] >> kathy majette: a lot of people think that children that are born with these deformities are cursed for some reason. so, they can't go to school. they can't go out anywhere. people call them names.

they're just shunned. even whole families are shunned. and then in countries so poor, they can't afford the medical help. >> norrie oelkers: in bolivia, the child cannot walk the streets. and we had children coming in for screening with brown bags over their head. and we just could not believe that. and they just, they don't even put eyeholes in them. the parents just lead them around. but they're never allowed to leave their house unless they have a bag on their heads. >> kathy majette: if it wasn't for groups like operation smile, their life would be very grim. some children don't live, because they have problems with eating, and drinking, and die of malnutrition. just imagine a life alone, that nobody wanted to be around you. it's very hard. >> dr. bill magee: operation smile began when my wife kathy and i were asked to go on a medical mission to the philippines, to take care of children who were born with cleft lips and cleft palates. >> kathy magee: well, in the philippines, we turned away 250 children. we always had hoped that we would be able

to take care of those kids. and we went back. we gathered a group of our friends and we did that. we took care of those children. >> dr. bill magee: that decision literally changed the course and the direction of our lives, our family's lives, our values and, i believe, our purpose in life. >> roma downey: leonel & maria have made a 24-hour trip by canoe, bus and taxi to bring their baby, luis jose, here. the day their baby was born, they were devastated. >> luis jose's mother: i asked god, what had i done to him in my life, because my first child was born without being able to walk. and now, my second one, another deformity. so i began to cry and cry and cry. >> roma downey: they are now praying that god will provide this miracle surgery for luis jose.

this little guy, jean carlos, is the apple of his grandpa's eye. when he was born, his mother had to feed him with a syringe and he couldn't keep his food down. his grandpa has tried three times already to get surgery for jean carlos. he's hoping that operation smile will be his chance. >> jean carlos grandpa: he belongs to the family, and we will fight alongside him until the end. >> roma downey: thailer is a 5-year-old with a perfect smile. but he was born with a severe cleft lip and cleft palate. the nurse told his mother that he looked like a monster and she cried for days. last year, operation smile repaired his lip and he's back now to have surgery on his palate. it's hard to believe he's the same boy, but he is! kimberlin is one of four girls.

when she was born with a severe cleft lip, her mother, olivia, went into shock. the family lives in a one-room, tin shack and could never afford the surgery kimberlin needs. and yet olivia fears what her daughter's future will be without it. >> kimberlin's mother: imagine if she can't have the operation; i mean, a mother's biggest fear is that her daughter will be rejected as a woman; never marry, rejected at school, rejected wherever she went. [ music ] [ speaking in foreign language ] >> roma downey: more than 220 children have been screened in the last two days. today, their parents will find out if they have been chosen for surgery. they've gathered outside the hospital, waiting to hear their child's name called. [ music ]

for those children who are chosen, it's a dream come true. [ speaking foreign language ] but 63 children have to be turned away today. the volunteer team simply can't operate on everyone. for their parents, the news is devastating. >> kathy magee: most of us are mothers or fathers, no one, i don't, you know, if it's my child, do you think i want to hear come back next year? i don't care where you live or who you are, no one is willing to accept that for their own child. thousands of kids are born every year, thousands, all over the country, all over this world, we can change that,

we can fix this problem. >> dr. bill magee: why should any child, anywhere on this planet, have to live a life of misery because someone isn't there to take care of them. there is no justice in that. >> announcer: you can provide a complete surgery for one waiting child right now, by becoming an operation smile partner. it costs only $240. or, if you prefer, you can pledge $20 a month. your gifts will help send our teams and equipment all year round and help ensure that we can provide surgery, free of charge, to every child in need, so no child has to be turned away. thousands of children are waiting. please go to your phone now. help us change lives, one smile at a time. [ music ] [ voices in background ]

[ child crying ] >> roma downey: jean carlos is one of the first called for surgery this morning. it's not easy for his mom to let him go. [ noises in background ] [ child crying ] jean carlos is just coming out of surgery. right now, his lip is quite swollen, but his mom and grandpa will see that his face is restored and know how beautiful he will look. [ music ]

[ child crying ] >> did he go right to sleep? [ music ] [ child crying ] [ speaking in foreign language ] >> roma downey: now it's arnoldo's turn. he doesn't realize just how much his life is about to change. >> kathy majette: arnoldo had teeth coming from every which way you can think of. and it's hard to imagine what they will look like when they come out. can you imagine handing your child to a stranger,

somebody who doesn't even speak your language, i mean, it's just, as a parent, incredible. [ music ] forty-five minutes later, they come back, the teeth are gone, the face is together, you see the parents when they see their child, it's just, it's a feeling that can't be explained. it's from the heart. how appreciative and their whole life has changed. >> arnoldo's father: i feel joy, much joy, and i thank all of the doctors. may they keep performing this good work, not only for my child; rather for all the children who may need it. >> kathy majette: and arnoldo looked at himself in the mirror and he looked. i think he was just like, who is that kid? [ laughs ]

his life's going to be great. >> roma downey: kimberlin's cleft lip is more complicated than most. dr. magee explains to her mother, olivia, how he will perform the surgery. >> dr. magee: on the lower lip, but better to have a scar, than to have a lower lip where it comes up like that. [ child crying ] [ speaking in foreign language ] >> the lower? >> dr. magee: on the lower lip. [ inaudible ] [ voices in background ]

>> maggie cote: i can't wait to see the mom's face. i can't imagine if this was my child. [ beeping ] i don't know what i would have done. [ beeping ] [ voices in background ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> kimberlin's mother: oh how cute! [ music ] oh how cute! oh, thank god! she came out precious. just precious. [ speaking foreign language ] i'm writing these short lines because we're really thankful. first of all, with god and with operation smile.

with wonderful people, thanks for helping me in the most important day of my life. keep with this mission. with god's help with what you do, a lot of kids will be eternally thankful. always yours, olivia nieto. >> roma downey: luis jose is very content when his turn comes. but his dad is very nervous. operation smile goes to great lengths to ensure safety in the operating room. everything is brought in, from the equipment for the anesthesia and the monitors, to all the sutures and supplies. [ music ] the surgery takes only about 45 minutes but it seems like an eternity.

[ music ] [ voices in background ] >> he's got like, the cutest nose. >> maggie cote: his parents are going to be thrilled. he looks fabulous. he's got a little bit of swelling but when that goes down in the next couple of days, he's going to be one handsome boy. already the girls can't keep their eyes off of him. [ music ] [ child crying ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> luis jose father: i think that this is a miracle. and the joy is so great that i do not think i can fit it in my heart. i think i have a new baby in my arms now. and i imagine him as if he had just been born,

because he is just like new. [ music ] >> kathy magee: i don't think anyone, in our country, wants to see a kid go without a life and to know that 45 minutes to an hour, they can make a change in that life, they can speak, they can eat, they can go to school like their own children. i think, wow, that's the greatest thing that can ever happen to you. >> dr. bill magee: your heart has to feel it first and then you can say to yourself, what if i just gave up lunch tomorrow and gave those dollars to some kid who didn't have a chance at life? then you become as important a part of this team as i am or any other surgeon. because of you, we've been able to change the life of some child somewhere who may never know your name, but will never forget your kindness. [ music ]

>> announcer: you can provide a complete surgery for one waiting child right now, by becoming an operation smile partner. it costs only $240, just $240 to transform a child's life. over 5,000 of the world's top doctors and nurses are standing by to volunteer their time. most of the medical supplies are donated. we're ready to go to more countries and reach more children, but we can't do it without your help. that's why it's so important that you call right now. your gift of $240 will provide surgery for a waiting child. or, if you prefer, you can pledge $20 a month. your gifts will help send our teams and equipment all year round and help ensure that we can provide surgery, free of charge, to every child in need, so no child has to be turned away.

call now and become an operation smile partner. you'll receive inspiring before and after photos of children whose lives have been transformed. plus, we'll send you this album to keep your photos in and share with your friends and family. and you'll also receive information about how your dollars are being used and the difference you're making around the world. you can even give automatically on your credit card. it's convenient and it saves money so more goes directly to the kids. when you make your payment with your credit card, we'll send you this official operation smile scrub shirt as a special thank you for being a vital part of our team. >> sandra fields: i saw the difference that it made. and it just made me want to give. >> jeff jarvis: operation smile is a true ambassador to what america means. >> deborah morrison: it's good when you're able to do something that you know is not wasteful at all, that every penny you've invested,

there is that equal return and more. >> vanessa krikland: can you imagine what that child's life is going to be like now? it's just an awesome thought. and you just raise your hand and you say, thank you, god. >> announcer: call now and join the operation smile team. just $240 can provide a surgery that will change a child's life forever. or a gift of any amount will help a waiting child get the surgery they so desperately need. >> lou lipofsky: do it because it will make your life richer. do it because you will be setting an example, as a role model for your children and your family. do it because it's the right thing to do. >> dr. bill magee: we need to do more, we need to be in more places, we need to help more kids. >> announcer: thousands of children are waiting. please go to your phone now. help us change lives, one smile at a time. >> roma downey: if you're still waiting

to call, please, do it now. here's the kind of difference you can make. [ music ]

>> the preceding program was sponsored by operation smile.

one person... there you go! come on now! one year... faster, faster, faster! one amazing transformation. whoa! oh! (cheering) my name's chris powell, and this is what i do. push! i want to see you push yourself! i don't see it. (panting) okay. stop (bleep) touching the (bleep) thing! get up off the ground and keep going. i can't freakin' do it! (chris) yes, you can. (panting) 3, 2, 1... go! (chris) time to wake up. time to start living. come on! what you're about to see will be the most important year in one person's life. (chris) don't listen to your body! listen to me! come on, push! (woman) aah! (man) hang on! who are you? you can choose to die. something tells me you want more. ♪ -- captions by vitac -- (man) tonight, on "extreme weight loss"...

meet jason and rachel. after 18 years of overeating, the couple has gained a combined 350 pounds. (rachel) i weigh more than i did when i was carrying my twins. lucky for them... yeah! chris powell is going to try and help them save their family. why the (bleep) are you here, man? over the next two hours, you'll witness chris take on his first married couple ever... he's not pushing himself as much as she is. in a year that puts their marriage to the test... is that why you're here? yep. i need a break. (sobbing) all leading up to an unprecedentedfinal weigh-in 365 days in the making. (cheering) ♪ i'm jason. i'm rachel. and together, we're 350 pounds overweight. (rachel) all right, guys. why don't you go ahead and play,

and i'm gonna take a little break? my kids are the world to me. they're just.. they're everything to me. i don't even think there's enough words to describe how much i love them. why don't you come kick the ball with sabrina, sam? we came outside to play. my weight absolutely restricts me, um, from even just everyday things like this-- playing with my kids. i just get winded really fast, um, and i just can't-- i can't do all the things that i just feel, like, are normal things to do. it's really sad. it's sad. i feel lazy. i feel like i look like a crappy mom. (voice breaking) and i'm not a crappy mom. but that's what it makes me feel like. (voice breaking) you know, i said i would take care of all of this before they were even here... and they're 5. (sniffles) and it's not just me. (cries) it's my husband, too. i'm pretty lucky. i got a good job. um... love what i do. um... i have a gorgeous wife and two beautiful kids, so, yeah.

this is the biggest i've ever been. hey, darren. how are you? i know for me, i'm a pretty smart guy, and so it's frustrating when i can't figure something out. my weight, my health is just one thing i-- i just can't figure out. i can't explain it. i'm like the biggest idiot in the world when it comes to stuff. (rachel) this is our wedding day, and it was, um, it was--it was an amazing day. it was great and it was wonderful. and i feel all that when i look back at it, but i also look at my big arms and see that we've been big for a lot longer than i realized. rachel and i have been together since '95. i proposed to her on top of the empire state building. in any marriage, there's good days, there's bad. we had a really rough '04, '05. um... it was a rough... maybe nine months, i would say. there was a lot of anger around that time. you know, i was mad that i got married so young and i would never get to live on my own. you know, i-- i just needed time away. it's kind of like how everyone knows where they were when j.f.k. was shot

or the shuttle blew up. i kind of know exactly what i was doing and what i was doing at that point in my life, and, like, it just could not have been a worse time. like, i was literally feeling-- i think i was pretty close to the weight i was now, and then... (sniffles) then she kind of came in and hit me with that, that she was gonna move out. i did lose some weight in '04 and '05, and then i reconnected with an old boyfriend of mine while we were separated. kinda i didn't know what to do. i couldn't, uh... i think it was the first time i ever could not just hold things together. (chuckles) like... i just lost it. i feel like it's something wrong, that i did something wrong, absolutely. i feel like i did something wrong. but i feel like after seven years, we should be over this. we've done a lot of work over the last... seven years. i mean, we have had screaming matches and talks and... marriage counseling. i mean, we've done everything. i've put on about 90 pounds since we were separated.