Wits Students’ Surgical Society members cycle for smiles

A group of 14 Wits Students’ Surgical Society members will dedicate their time and energy towards finishing the Telkom 947 Cycle Challenge on 20 November.

These 14 riders did this all in the name of the Smile Foundation, to raise funds for the foundation and the work they do in changing children’s lives. “The Society has been in association with the Foundation for about six years now and we have cycled for them for three. Through this, we were able to raise around R35 000 for them and are still continuing with raising funds,” said Ryan Hume a representative for the society.

Smile Foundation is a South African non-governmental organisation with a comprehensive health care vision for children living with facial conditions. Smile Foundation together with the country’s Academic Hospitals work together to put the smile back on children’s faces with corrective facial reconstructive surgery and treatment.

They help children in need of surgery for treatable facial anomalies such as cleft lip, cleft palate, nose and ear conditions, facial paralysis (Moebius syndrome), burn wounds and craniofacial abnormalities.

The 14 riders include Gisela Fossati, Greg Douglas, Maja Kuhar, Jennifer Buskes, Lorne van der Merwe, Mahomed Seedat, Nina Langenhoven, Yerma van Wyngaardt, Richard Hall, Matt Grant, Thomas Braithwaite, Jess Burgess, Taryn Gomes and Kyle Gilday.

Eight members of the society will also be taking on Mount Kilimanjaro from 3 to 10 December for the Smile Foundation.

The cyclists have been training for the challenge since September and making sure to stay abreast of their studies at the same time. “We have been training almost every Sunday with one of the Smile Foundation coaches and we cycle for about 70 km at a time. Even through all of this, it is about the bigger picture which is raising funds to change a child’s life and put a smile on it,” said Kuhar.

Fossati said it is a great feeling doing something that helps physically but also makes a difference in a child’s life.

Douglas added, “After being able to see some of the videos that the Smile Foundation showed us, it really sunk in about how amazing they are and the work that they do makes such a difference. It actually goes beyond just helping the child smile again. It helps their parents, family as well as socially and emotionally, everything is better. They also provide follow ups with the children.”

Kuhar ended by saying she felt that being part of the whole experience is exciting. She encouraged people to look at the work that the Smile Foundation does so they can also get excited and spread the word to enable the foundation to raise more funds to continue with their much-needed work.

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