10-year-old Mihlali was attacked by a dog in 2018, suffering severe damage to his face and eye; now he is receiving a new, working eyelid from the Smile Foundation.
Port Elizabeth, South Africa (19 October 2020) – A 10-year-old Eastern Cape child will be given the opportunity to open and close his eye for the first time in two years during the upcoming Smile Week at the Port Elizabeth Provincial Hospital, proudly supported by Adcock Ingram.
23 children will receive reconstructive surgery as part of Smile Week, which is taking place from Monday, 19 October until Friday, 23 October 2020.
The event is sponsored by South African pharmaceutical conglomerate Adcock Ingram. It is the first time Smile Week is taking place in the region since lockdown measures were implemented in March 2020. Smile Weeks would not be possible without the unstinting support of both nurses and the medical fraternity who have been there since the inception of Smile Weeks in PE. They are the true miracle makers and heroes.
One of the children receiving an operation is 10-year-old Mihlali. Mihlali was bitten by a dog in August 2018 when playing with a neighbour’s son. He was left seriously injured after the dog bit off his eyelid and has already undergone three operations to repair the damage caused. At the time of the incident, he was rushed in for emergency surgery to get coverage onto his eye, as an exposed eyeball will die. His injuries were so extensive that the common eyelid wound closure techniques were insufficient. Doctors had to utilise skin tissue from the side of his nose to reconstruct his eyelid and mucosa from inside his mouth to reconstruct the inner part of his new eyelid. Subsequently, Mihlali had to undergo a few surgeries through the Smile Foundation to improve shape and contour.
During the upcoming Smile Week, doctors will be giving Mihlali’s newly made eyelid movement, so he will be able to open and close his eyes for the first time in two years. They will be using his forehead muscles to innervate his new eyelid. Mihlali says that he is very excited and looking forward to his operation. He says he’s still scared of dogs and doesn’t want to play with them. His mom also described him as a brave child.
‘This is a hugely important surgery for Mihlali which will not only change his life, but his family’s as well. We are so excited that we’re able to play such an instrumental role in helping to transform the lives of children like Mihlali. We are grateful that elective operations for children in desperate need can now resume across the country now that lockdown measures have been lifted. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 70% and 100% of children’s surgeries were put on hold due to insufficient theatre space and an inexhaustible backlog, and our work across the country in ensuring children get the surgeries they so desperately need, is more critical than ever now that surgeries are able to resume. Without the assistance of organisation’s such as Adcock Ingram, we would not be able to facilitate such events. We continue to urge businesses as well as members of the public to help us give these children the chance to live a better life’ says Hedley Lewis, Chief Executive Officer of the Smile Foundation.
Lewis also applauded the medical staff involved for their unwavering dedication and instrumental role in transforming the lives of these children.
‘It is heartening to see that through the partnership with the Smile Foundation, that collectively we are able to make a different to the lives of children who need specific elective surgeries that address facial abnormalities. We give thanks to all frontline workers especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to the doctors and their teams at the PE Provincial Hospital for the impact that they make through the work that they are doing. We also thank the Smile Foundation for facilitating these life-changing surgeries annually. Our partnership is aligned to the ethos of ‘Adding value to life’ said Nkosinathi Mthethwa, Public Affairs Executive, Adcock Ingram.
Other operations scheduled for the upcoming Smile Week include cleft lip and palate repair, one facial reanimation case, contracture release, and a bone graft.
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