Lives of 14 children to be changed this Smile Week
Smile Week launched at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital aims to tackle backlog of corrective surgery caused by Covid-19 restrictions.
The Smile Foundation launched Smile Week at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Parktown on July 29.
The week was dedicated to making a life-changing difference in the lives of 14 children whose cleft lip and palate repair surgeries had been put on hold due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Smile Foundation CEO Kim Robertson Smith said cleft abnormalities can be caused by genetic conditions and can be picked up during pregnancy. Some parents are given the option to terminate if found.
Smith said Smile Week wasn’t just about the foundation, but about the children, moms and families involved. “Helping one child doesn’t mean you’re helping just that one child, there’s an extended family that is a part of it. The extended family, in this case, is Motshidisi Senyane who is Victor’s mom. Victor is our feature case for today,” said Smith.
She said nine-month-old Victor born with apert syndrome would be having massive neuro and plastic surgery on July 26. Mom Senyane had received counselling support from the foundation.
Senyane said, “It’s a big surgery and scary but knowing that he is getting help is a relief and I am really grateful to Smile Foundation and my family for their comforting and support. I believe after this it will be a new chapter with less worry.”
Smith added that the idea is to get the children treated early so that once they start schooling, they actually look like everybody else and live a life free of being bullied and treated poorly in schools.
The foundation’s coordinator at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, Sylvia Mchunu said it felt like a miracle that she was now working for the foundation. This after her daughter, who was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate, had been helped through surgery by the foundation.
Mchunu recalled how in 2013 after giving birth to her daughter Princess, she had noticed a difference. “I used to struggle with feeding her because the palate was open. I could not leave her with anyone else and so had to resign from work. I was eager for the surgery to proceed so she could be well. She has had three surgeries to date. It’s now easier to give support and counselling to other moms going through the same,” said Mchunu.
Smith said there are a lot more children out there who need surgery and if anyone knows them, they must please refer them to Smile Foundation SA. She added that they are in the process of having the foundation verified on social media platforms so as to make sure people donate to the correct foundation.
Details: Smile Foundation www.smilefoundationsa.org
Filler: Share your inspirational stories by email to naidines@caxton.co.za
Related articles:
Over 240 children have received surgeries from Smile Foundation this year
