Photo: Dan Goldblatt/WFIU News
Kids born in the U.S. with a Cleft palate can be easily treated; not so though in many parts of the world.
An Indiana University graduate and former Marine is hiking 5,000 miles throughout Southeast Asia to raise money for cleft surgeries in underdeveloped countries.
With every step he takes, former Marine Winston Fiore is raising money for kids with a common birth defect known as cleft palate. In the US babies who are affected are treated not long after birth, but it is a problem in developing countries.
“Clefts are something that can be treated so easily and with so little money to where $240 is the average cost of one surgery and a couple hours of a surgeons time,”" he said. ”The kids got a completely new start kids are often prevented from attending schools can’t hold down jobs can’t have families because they seem undesirable.”
Fiore is trying to raise $25,000 for cleft surgeries. He is more than half way to his goal. He leaves next week for his walk across Asia.
