Smile Foundation and George Mukhari bring smiles back to families
“I have fallen in love with her original smile, so I am very anxious to see how she will look. I cannot wait to see what she will look like,” one mother says.
Twenty children suffering from cleft lip and cleft palate were operated on at the Dr George Mukhari academic hospital on Tuesday morning in an initiative championed by the Smile Foundation.
The foundation’s CEO Kim Robertson Smith said the foundation has been helping families for 21 years.
Robertson Smith said in their 21 years of operation, they have assisted in changing the lives of over 4 000 families affected by facial abnormalities and severe burns, through the best possible surgical and psychological services.
She said because of the backlog in surgeries in the country, they try to do a whole week of surgeries at a time.
“We bring in five or six kids every single day and we make sure that surgeries are done every day.
“We organise a smile week in different academic hospitals. In the last month we have done one in Bloemfontein, Kimberley and now we are in Dr George Mukhari.
“I think it is exciting for the parents because they have been on the waiting list for a long time. The earlier the surgery is done, the better for the child because you cannot speak without the palate.”
Six-month-old Lewatle Mpiriane was one of the children who benefited from the initiative on Tuesday.
Mipiriane was born with a cleft lip and palate in Lerato hospital.
Her condition caused her to struggle while eating and drinking, as whatever nourishment she tries to ingest, escapes through the gap in her lip.
“I have fallen in love with her original smile, so I am very anxious to see how she will look. I cannot wait to see what she will look like,” her mother, Thesela said.
Another mother Thikolelwi Ravhura said she is also eager to see what her daughter will look like after the surgery.
Ravhura’s daughter Lindiwe (9) was born with a problem with her palate.
“It has been a painful journey, food used to come out of her ears and mouth and she has a problem with talking. She is in Grade 4 now and I am very happy that she will be receiving help.”
Robertson Smith encouraged parents who have a child who suffered from cleft lip and palate to contact the Smile Foundation SA.
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