About Me

Hello! I’m Dr. Ieisha M. Smith

Published Author

My journey began long before I created Color With Me Before Surgery. I was born with a bilateral cleft palate and lip and underwent 12 surgeries throughout my childhood to repair my cleft.

With every surgery came fear and uncertainty. I remember wondering what the outcome would be, how much pain I would feel, and what it would be like when I woke up. Those experiences stayed with me and shaped my understanding of what it can feel like to be a child facing surgery.

As I learned more, I discovered that millions of children undergo surgery each year—and I realized that I was not alone in experiencing those feelings of fear and uncertainty.

That realization inspired me to turn my personal experience into something that could help other children.

• Talk about more of what the organization is about here**********************

I created Color With Me Before Surgery, a children’s coloring book designed to give children a positive and creative way to prepare for surgery. Through encouraging images and messages, the book is intended to help children feel calmer, safer, and more confident as they approach their surgical experience.

I also wrote Kaci’s Magic Scar, a children’s story inspired by my own journey and the different steps I took to prepare for surgery. Through Kaci’s story, I hope children can see that being different doesn’t make them less—it can be part of what makes them wonderfully unique.

My mission is to inspire children around the world to embrace their unique differences, build confidence, and feel empowered rather than defined by the things that make them different.

What began with my own surgeries has grown into a passion for helping children face theirs with a little more courage, comfort, and confidence.

Because every child deserves to know that their differences can be part of their magic.