TESS Unlimited

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Guatemala
Antigua
TESS Unlimited

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A non-profit organization established in 2008, dedicated to providing Comprehensive Cleft Care for children born with a cleft lip and/or palate in Guatemala.

The Gift of Smile Project

Since 2008, we have helped over 4000 children in Guatemala born with a cleft lip and/or palate, which are openings in the lip and roof of the mouth, by financing their needed surgeries and pre- and post op care. The life of a child with a lip deformity is extremely difficult as it is prone to illness because their respiratory system is exposed. Most babies we find are extremely malnourished since breastfeeding is challenging due to the deformity. Poverty also leads to less milk production for the mothers, and buying milk powder is too expensive. A child with a visible deformity will most likely not go to school because the families are ashamed for their child to be seen. Tess Unlimited searches children and adults with lip deformities in Guatemala. Before surgery is considered, the baby needs to have the correct weight and strong health level. To accomplish this, the child will follow our Milk Project in which we provide milk, special feeding bottles and medicines to the families in order to prepare it for surgery. When the baby is malnourished, the child goes directly to the hospital through our Hospital Project in which we finance their needed care. After the first surgery of closing the lip, one year needs to be considered before the second surgery of closing the palate takes place. Following the surgeries, after-care is needed consisting of speech therapy, dental care, psychological care and check-ups. All the steps taken in the child’s journey are supported and financed by us. With our help the child will be more likely to get an education, a more healthy life and at the end of their journey, a beautiful smile on their face! For more information about our projects, please visit www.tessunlimited.com

17/10/2026

How it started… and how we ended! ❤️

Long days, hard work, endless dedication, and so much love for every single child and family.

Exhausted but with hearts overflowing! 🥹💕

17/10/2026

5 days. Over 470 children. Countless beautiful moments. ❤️🇬🇹

After one full day of travel, we spent four incredibly busy and rewarding days evaluating children in the rural areas of Guatemala.

Over 470 children seen! Most are already part of our Comprehensive Programs, but we also welcomed new babies into the Tess Unlimited family! 💕

Our amazing audiologist Elizabeth, together with our local therapists Lidia and Yuri, performed over 400 hearing tests! Our wonderful nursing team, Ingrid and Martha, made sure little ears were clean and ready, removing plenty of earwax along the way! Pini translated and kept everything running smoothly.

Our nutritionist Cindy and pediatrician Gaby examined all the babies and underweight children and provided treatment for ear infections.

Gerson and Abby updated all the children’s information, while Dani captured countless precious moments through photos and videos! 📸

Gilberto, together with our regional speech therapists Virginia, Isa, Yoselin and Ingrid, evaluated the speech of hundreds of children.

And Erick and Tessa reviewed the results, checked healing and recovery, and planned further surgeries for every child who needs them.

Long days, hundreds of beautiful faces, lots of laughter, a few tears, and a Christmas present for every single child! 🎄🎁

But what makes these days truly special goes far beyond the medical evaluations.

It’s the personal connection with every family. Knowing their stories. Remembering every child by name. Watching them grow, heal, smile and thrive.

Because to us, they are never just numbers. Every child matters. Every family matters. Every smile matters.

That is what Tess Unlimited is all about. ❤️

To our incredible team, thank you for your dedication, energy and love. And to everyone who supports us and believes in our mission: THANK YOU! Because of you, we can continue changing little lives, one beautiful smile at a time. 💕

14/10/2026

🎙️ Spoiler alert: Stay until the end to discover our little ones’ amazing talents! ✨🎤

Our first day of evaluations in San Marcos couldn’t have gone better! 💥💙

It was a busy day filled with medical evaluations, pediatrics, nutrition consultations, speech therapy, hearing tests, and post-operative follow-ups for many of our patients who recently underwent surgery. 🩺✨

We saw so many patients, shared special moments with them, and most importantly, had an amazing time together! 🥹💙

✅ Day one complete! We’re keeping the energy high and putting our hearts into caring for every one of our little patients.

See you over the next few days! 🚐✨

09/10/2026

High in the mountains of Guatemala, a young family lives on less than $20 a week.
When their daughter Adira was born with a rare facial cleft, they did everything they could to help her. Door after door closed. Doctor after doctor turned them away.
They were losing hope.
Then our partner, Tess Unlimited, said yes.
Watch Adira's story, and see what one yes can change.
Thousands of children like her are still waiting. Please consider donating- no amount is too small.

Very special thanks to Ann Grisanti Mike Kolloen, , , , and Tom Hambleton for making this story come to life.

08/10/2026

High in the mountains of Guatemala, a young family lives on less than $20 a week.
When their daughter Adira was born with a rare facial cleft, they did everything they could to help her. Door after door closed. Doctor after doctor turned them away.
They were losing hope.
Then our partner, Tess Unlimited, said yes.
Watch Adira's story, and see what one yes can change.
Thousands of children like her are still waiting. Please consider donating- no amount is too small.

Very special thanks to Leslie Ann Grisanti, Mike Kolloen, , , , and Tom Hambleton for making this story come to life.

07/10/2026

What an incredible night! ❤️

We are still taking it all in and feeling so grateful for everyone who made this evening so special.

I can’t thank Cleft Care International enough for the incredible fundraiser they organized for us and our mission. To be so far from home and look around a room filled with more than 125 people who came because they believe in what we do was incredibly moving.

These are not just supporters. They are people who have become dear to our hearts. People who believe in our children, in our mission, and in the difference we can make together.

The evening was filled with so many special moments—an incredible silent auction, beautiful conversations, old friends and new ones, and people who flew in from all across the United States just to be there with us.

And then came a moment I will never forget: seeing the documentary about our very special girl, Adira, shown for the very first time. ❤️ Seeing her story on the screen, surrounded by a room full of people who care so deeply, was incredibly emotional. It reminded me once again why we do what we do—and how one little girl’s story can touch so many hearts.

To everyone who worked tirelessly to make this night happen, to the entire Cleft Care International board, to every person who donated, participated in the auction, traveled to be with us, or simply showed up with an open heart: thank you.

Thank you for believing in us.
Thank you for believing in our mission.
And most of all, thank you for believing in these children and the futures they deserve.

We came away from this evening feeling incredibly grateful, humbled, loved, and more inspired than ever.

Some nights stay with you forever.

This was one of them. ❤️

04/10/2026

👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

29/09/2026

What an incredible week we are having with Free to Smile Foundation ❤️

With so many children in Guatemala in need of VPI surgery to improve their speech, our amazing team got to work immediately.

On Sunday morning, right after triage, our surgeons Robert and Lisa, together with our mentor speech therapist Shelly and our local team, performed more than 40 nasoendoscopies and checked the ears of over 15 children. Almost all of these children are now being scheduled for VPI and/or ENT surgery.

And there was no time to waste! That same Sunday afternoon, Robert already performed 2 VPI surgeries and placed ear tubes in another child. 🙌

We continued on Monday, and today was another very special day. Our local surgeon Michel joined us and, together with Robert Glade, performed 2 Furlow procedures and 1 pharyngeal flap under Robert’s supervision — and it went GREAT! ❤️

This is exactly what we love to see: not only providing surgery for children who need it, but also working side by side, sharing knowledge and building local expertise for the future.

And there is more! Our other amazing surgeon, Lisa Buckmiller, has been performing some beautiful lip revisions yesterday and today. She has such incredible skill with these procedures, and the results are wonderful to see. ❤️

While all these surgeries are taking place, our mentor speech therapist Shelly is working closely with our local speech therapists AND our kids — giving advice, mentoring, teaching, answering questions and helping everyone understand how we can continue improving care for these children long after this week is over.

Surgery. Speech therapy. ENT care. Teaching. Mentoring. Teamwork. ❤️

It is a GREAT week, and we are so grateful to Free to Smile, our visiting specialists and our wonderful local team for making all of this possible.

And we’re not done yet! 💪❤️🇬🇹

29/09/2026

💖💖💖💖

28/09/2026

What a night… ❤️

It’s hard to put into words what it felt like to stand there, surrounded by more than 200 people, celebrating 18 years of Tess Unlimited.

For the first time ever, we celebrated our anniversary together in Guatemala — the place where so much of our story has been written. And looking around that room, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with gratitude.

18 years. More than 5,000 children with cleft. Thousands of smiles, stories, hugs, tears, challenges and moments we will never forget.

What started 18 years ago has grown into something so much bigger than we could ever have imagined. And none of it would exist without the incredible people who have walked this journey with us.

Our amazing Tess Team. Our doctors and medical partners. Our volunteers. Our friends. Our supporters. And, above all, the children and families who have trusted us and allowed us to be part of their lives. ❤️

Seeing so many of you together in one place made me realize once again that Tess Unlimited is so much more than an organization.

It is a family.

A family connected by love, hope and the belief that every child deserves the chance to smile, to dream and to live life without being held back by cleft.

To everyone who has been part of these 18 years: thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

This night belonged to all of you. ❤️

Here’s to 18 unforgettable years, more than 5,000 beautiful children, and all the smiles still waiting for us in the years ahead. ✨🇬🇹

Dirección

Callejón 4
Antigua
03001

Teléfono

+50240954147

Página web

http://www.tessunlimited.com/

Notificaciones

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