East London’s Frere Hospital has played host to this week’s Smile Foundation Smile Week and 20 children have been given a real chance at joy through donated surgeries.
East London, South Africa (18 May 2023) – Amidst a trying time of acute power challenges and rising food and fuel prices, if there is one positive thing that South Africans can hold onto, it is that joy is always possible. This is especially true when it comes to the work of Smile Foundation – a non-profit, non- government organisation, transforming the lives of previously disadvantaged children affected by facial abnormalities and severe burns.
Driving this joy movement, is Smile Week. Coordinated by Smile Foundation, this is a week during which surgeons and their medical support teams clear their schedules and dedicate their time and expertise to putting smiles back onto children’s faces through corrective reconstructive surgery.
This Smile Week has been taking place at East London’s Frere Hospital, until 19 May 2023. 20 Children in need of surgery for facial anomalies like cleft lip and cleft palate, nose conditions and burn wounds are being treated.
Kim Robertson Smith, Smile Foundation CEO shares, “Over and above the awarded excellence of his work with cleft lip and palate patients and the clinical research he has afforded the medical field, Dr Chris van der Walt always shows great dedication, professionalism, and compassion to the young patients he assists during our many Smile Weeks.
We are ever grateful to him and his outstanding medical team who make these life-changing miracles happen time and time again. Smile Foundation is humbled by the generosity of everyone who has supported this worthy cause. We would also like to extend our gratitude to Smile Train, who are providing a grant and resources to reach many more children with cleft lip and palate and provide treatments.”
Among the children undergoing surgery, is little Zisuncumo, Zweli and Lunjalo.
Zisuncumo (whose name means Smile), a six-month old boy from Sterkspruit in the Eastern Cape, who was born with a cleft lip and palate. Zisuncumo’s mother, Nandipha was not aware of her son’s condition before his birth and was in need of emotional support to help her deal with the reality of her child’s condition.
Children with such conditions are not only stigmatised throughout their lives because of their physical differences, they encounter difficulties with breathing and eating, and also have problems with proper speech development.
Zisuncumo will be undergoing the first phase of his corrective surgery, that will begin with repairing the skin and muscles of his lip, so that he can have better use of them and be able to communicate better. The second phase of his surgery will take place in four months-time, which will involve repair work to his palate. Zisuncumo will be given the chance to live a normal, happy life.
Related Story
In commemoration of National Burns Awareness Month, little Zweli a young boy from Duncan Village in East London, who was involved in an accident in Willowvale, (a town in the Eastern Cape) during which he suffered severe petrol burns to his face, will be undergoing surgery. Due to these severe burns, Zweli is unable to close his mouth which causes problems with eating and consistent drooling adds another layer of social issues. His surgery will involve the repositioning of his lips so that his mouth will be able to close. He has extensive scarring and the surgeons will address scarring as best they can with a specialised skin graft.
Lunjalo is a young girl who was born with hemangioma of the lip. This is congenital abnormality that causes problems with normal lip function, making it very difficult for a child to speak and eat properly. She will be treated with an anti-cancer agent, which is a highly specialised agent that will be injected into the mass causing it to decrease in size. This is a very painful injection, which is why it will be done under anesthetic. Lunjalo will need a series of 3 injections.
This is the third Smile Week to take place in East London, during which Dr Chris van Der Walt, Head of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in Port Elizabeth, and his team, will be visiting Frere Hospital to operate throughout the week.
Dr Chris van der Walt shares, “Being able to undergo corrective facial reconstructive surgery is a great challenge in South Africa, as the skills are unfortunately lacking and the only plastic surgeon in East London has retired. My medical team and I are honoured and feel privileged to assist in this regard. We feel it our duty to try and help more children like Zisuncumo. We will continue to strive to try to make a positive difference for children that did not choose to be born this way. With our skills and abilities, we are able to make a difference and hope that East London will soon acquire these much-needed medical skills again. It is imperative that us medical professionals continue to train plastic surgeons in the Eastern Cape so that our skills are shared with new and upcoming surgeons who will later be able to assist patients like this.”
“The many Smile Weeks that take place across our country bolster the fact that when we rise above the difficulties we’re faced with as South Africans, and we stand together one nation, we can help more children find the joy that they so rightfully deserve,” concludes Kim Robertson Smith, CEO of Smile Foundation.
by 