Operation Smile is dedicated to providing life-changing surgeries
Operation Smile ensured 61 children under 12 years were screened and 40 were scheduled for cleft lip and palate surgery.
Operation Smile painted the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital red from July 26–28, and provided life-changing surgery for 40 children affected by cleft lip and palate.
The weekend surgical programme was part of the first Madiba Smile Relay, a collaboration between Operation Smile and the Smile Foundation.
Executive director of Operation Smile Sarah Scarth said the organisation picked up from where Smile left off with the 67 Smiles relay, “we will be screening between 70 and 80 child patients, under 12, who need cleft lip and palate surgery. A cleft is a common birth defect. As an organisation, we estimated that a child with a cleft is born every three minutes. In SA, the estimation is approximately one cleft birth in every 1,000.”
Scarth noted that although it was not conclusive what caused the defect, the good news was it could be completely repaired and a child could live a normal life after undergoing multiple surgeries and non-surgical care which included speech, dentistry, and psycho-social support from the infant stage right through to adolescence.
61 children under 12 years were screened and 40 were scheduled for surgery. Patients not approved for surgery received a referral letter or were placed on the priority list of Operation Smile’s next surgical programme.
ALSO READ: Smile Foundation commemorates Mandela Month through Smile Relay
A non-medical records volunteer, Bryan Bergsteedt, said his journey with Operation Smile began 12 years ago in Malawi as a student.
“What makes the organisation stand out is that there is a visible change, and [it] brings like-minded people together. I heard about Operation Smile in 2013 because my friend was born with a cleft lip and received surgery with the help of the organisation.”
Scarth noted that the Smile Relay was helping to alleviate the backlog of children’s cleft surgeries.
“We, as Operation Smile, brought our volunteers from across the country to Johannesburg, and Killarney Mall has come on board to supply us with necessities from their tenants.”
ALSO READ: St Columba’s celebrates Mandela Day with record-breaking outreach
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