Smile Week in East London takes place this week for the first time, and 18 young children will be gifted new smiles thanks to life-changing surgeries.
East London, South Africa (31 May 2021) – In a predominantly rural region, where people travel long and gruelling distances to seek medical care, specialist surgeons are few and far between. In some cases, patients travel on horseback or ox-drawn carts to regional hospitals with ambulance support to make it to a tertiary hospital.
Sadly, this means that children with facial abnormalities, like cleft lip and palate (CLP), have unfortunately not been able to undergo the surgery they so desperately need. Over and above these challenges, elective surgeries were postponed last year due to COVID, resulting in a backlog of children awaiting their operations.
The good news is that East London’s very first Smile Week will make the almost impossible come to life at Frere Hospital. Coordinated by Smile Foundation, Smile Week is a full working week, during which surgeons, their assisting surgical teams, other medical professionals and hospital staff open their hearts and clear their schedules to perform reconstructive surgery on previously disadvantaged children suffering from facial anomalies and the emotional pain that goes hand-in-hand with these conditions.
East London’s Smile Week is being sponsored by Airports Company South Africa Limited (ACSA) – a national airport management company committed to bettering the lives of South African children in need, together with Smile Foundation in collaboration with Frere Hospital.
“To the kind and generous decision-makers of ACSA, thank you wholeheartedly for helping us bring the nearly impossible to life by supporting our third Smile Week this year. We are also incredibly grateful to the unbelievable team of dedicated, compassionate surgeons, medical professionals and hospital staff alike. You will not only be giving 18 children, life-changing surgery and the chance of normal social development, you will also be giving 18 families the gift of joy, hope and emotional healing.” shares Moira Gerszt, acting CEO at Smile Foundation.
This Smile Week will commence on 31 May. Of the 18 children under the age of 3 who will be undergoing surgery, Michelle is one of the candidates.
Refentse Shinners, Spokesperson for ACSA, spoke about the company’s continued partnership with the Foundation and the impact the relations continue to have in the lives of many. “Airports Company South Africa is very proud to support a programme that positively impacts the community, especially in the rural areas, where this type of intervention is not readily available. Beneficiaries don’t only walk out of the hospital with improved physical appearance, but the facial reconstructive surgeries contribute towards the future psychological wellbeing of the children.”
Michelle, who is now only 7 months old, was born with a cleft lip and palate. Her mother, Yolanda, was unaware of this condition until her baby girl was born. Although Frere Hospital nursing staff helped teach her how to bottle feed little Michelle, she still encounters some difficulties while feeding her child. Being unemployed and not having the means to pay for her daughter’s much needed reconstructive surgery, Yolanda turned to Smile Foundation for help.
Dr Chris van der Walt and the Port Elizabeth (PE) Plastic Surgery Team examined Michelle this morning, and she will undergo a 2.5 hour’s surgery during Smile Week. Michelle’s cleft lip repair will conclude the first stage of her surgery, followed by secondary surgery that will take place 4 to 5 months later. During the week, the PE team will also be training their medical colleagues in East London to best assist Michelle and other patients within the crucial months of recovery that follow. In addition, two private East London surgeons have also offered their support for Smile Week.
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How Close-to-Home Care Healed Little Layla and Eased a Family’s BurdenDr Chris van der Walt shares, “We are ever grateful to the hospital’s managerial staff for their incredible support of such a life-changing cause. We’re looking forward to helping young patients from the East London area as well as working with our fellow colleagues and strengthening our ties. Through our collaboration, we aim to provide enough training to the East London team that will increase their knowledge base, encourage skills sharing and in turn, strengthen the health care system of the Eastern Cape.”
“Our faces carry who we are to the world. Not being able to express yourself with confidence and ease, directly impacts a child’s psychological and emotional wellbeing. At Smile Foundation, we believe that giving is not just about making a donation; it’s about making a real difference. By helping previously disadvantaged children, we offer every child the chance to overcome their disabilities through disfigurement and enjoy the gift of a secure upbringing and a renewed self-worth.” concludes Moira Gerszt.
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