Originally published November 5th, 2006 in the Lansing State Journal

Moises returns home with a new face, and new outlook.

He sat in a Lansing doctor's exam chair, surrounded by smiling people he could barely speak to, in yet another of many moments far from home. Moises Chiquil didn't complain to them, these surgeons and foreign nurses so happy to see him breathe freely through his aching new nose. But he wiped away a single tear - shed as much in deep gratitude as physical pain - and tried to smile despite the numbness. Estoy feliz," he said with obvious joy. "I feel like a different person." The 21-year-old is now back in Mexico, recovering from the Sparrow Hospital surgery that repaired a rare facial birth defect, carrying the kindness that also healed invisible wounds.

Moises' month in mid-Michigan is a story of strangers stepping in at the right place and time, of medicine's mending power and, above all, of a young man building a new belief system.

"For him, it created the reality that there are good people in the world," said Angel Notion President Lavonna Redman, who, along with amazed family members and co-workers, welcomed Moises back to the Riviera Maya last week. "He has gained a whole new trust in ... humanity."

Moises didn't always believe in the possibility of his dreams - having a normal face, becoming head waiter, getting married. He'd been rejected too many times, isolated by embarrassment and poverty. Then, when an unlikely collection of people started offering whatever they could - surgery, hospitality, dollars - they created more than anyone anticipated.

On his way home.

As Moises walked through security Monday at Detroit Metro Airport, passersby saw only a stranger with a stitched-up, swollen but symmetrical nose. Back at the checkpoint, what Jill and Jim Fedewa of Delta Township saw was a young man no longer afraid to fly - or look people in the eye - making his way toward the future he always wanted. The first time they greeted him there, Jim and the rest of Moises' support team managed some broken "holas" and awkward hugs, and expected surgery to take place two days later. Moises didn't know the days would become weeks as doctors worked out scheduling setbacks, or that his hosts - who had first seen him working at a restaurant in Mexico - would have more to offer than beds and meals.

They started taking Moises, amazed at the sight of pine trees and modern appliances, to experience local treats: theater, hockey games and the Sleeping Bear Dunes. They arranged for English language classes. And, in the long hours in between, they became family. "I never had any sons, but if I did, I'd be proud to have one like him," said Jim Fedewa, normally a man of few words. "I definitely feel a bond."

Moises lost his father three years ago in a work accident. A hard worker whose deformity cost him jobs, Moises had given up hope of ever having it corrected. He left Michigan, where he arrived hoping only for a medical procedure, with a Gameboy, a pile of get-well cards and friends he can always call. "I didn't realize how many people loved me," he said through a translator. "I can't believe it."

Free to breathe

Dr. Ricardo Salazar, the surgeon who traveled from Mexico with Moises, plans to remove the remaining tubes and packing inside Moises' nasal passages Monday, finally making him free to breathe with both nostrils. In the past week, Salazar has watched his young friend hand out gifts from the United States and shock his mother with his new face. It has been tough to make his patient obey doctor's orders. Moises isn't into resting. He's eager to return to work, this time with a new job to learn. Instead of cleaning tables, his boss has asked him to try something new: Moises will learn to be a cook. Moises said he's nervous but has confidence. Now, he knows he can find another job if he wants to. He plans to keep learning English and buy an electric guitar, see about playing with a band.

"My future will be better," he says again and again. Mr. Jim will visit soon. Dr. George Poletes plans to check in on his memorable patient when he joins the Michigan State University medical team's annual mission trip again next spring. "It's what makes us go into medicine," he said of Moises' more-than-physical transformation. "You can't be paid enough money to feel as good as this makes you feel."

Angel Notion's Redman knows many stories like Moises', but the experience of changing someone's life never stops amazing her. "Just for people to think about this young man ... when they see the next young man in need they're going to say 'I can do that, too,' " she said.

"You should take a chance."

All photos and information courtesy of  The Lansing State Journal. For more information and the complete story of Moises' incredible journey and recovery please click here

For a narrated slide show of Moises and his experience please click here 

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