Next week will be an extra special Smile Week as it aligns with Nelson Mandela Day, the Smile Foundation’s biggest patron! 30 Children with facial abnormalities will undergo life-changing reconstructive surgery, making their smile dreams come true at long last.
Pretoria, South Africa (14 July 2023) — Let’s be honest, we often take our own smiles for granted. Yes, we might appreciate the joyful eruption of a smile on someone else. And making a stranger smile is one of the best feelings in the world. But when it comes to ourselves, more often than not, we forget the value of our ability to crack a smile, big or small. That’s when non-profit, non-governmental organisations like the Smile Foundation step in to remind us to value every inch of our smiles, and give us the chance to make smile dreams come true for others.
The Smile Foundation has a special mission to make sure that children who suffer from facial abnormalities and severe burns can get the reconstructive surgery they need. While the Smile Foundation works year-round to make smile dreams come true, one week of the year stands out in particular.
Smile Week is a special week during which surgeons, their assisting surgical teams, other medical professionals and hospital staff clear their schedules to perform reconstructive surgery children who have gone without their smiles. The week differs for various hospitals, and during Mandela Week (with Nelson Mandela Day being on Tuesday) Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital will give 30 children the corrective surgery they need.
What makes this Smile Week extra special is its alignment with Madiba Day, honouring the Smile Foundation’s Chief Patron the honourable Nelson Mandela.
A heartwarming fact about the Smile Foundation is that it came into being when Madiba helped secure surgery for a little girl with facial paralysis 23 years ago. Since then, over 5343 children from disadvantaged backgrounds have been given a second chance at living a happy childhood, free from the emotional burden of facing the world with a facial abnormality or disfigurement from burn injuries.
Kim Robertson Smith, CEO of Smile Foundation shares:
“Mandela Day is the one day of the year that we get to honour an extraordinary leader who dedicated so many years of his life to teaching us that change is always possible. It is also a special day that we at Smile Foundation celebrate with deep gratitude in our hearts in honour of our beloved Madiba.”
Of the children undergoing surgery is seven-year-old, Zaylen, who was born with Microtia. This is a congenital abnormality of the outer ear that affects 1 out of 8 000 to 10 000 newborns. More simply put, Zaylen’s right external ear is missing almost completely. Such conditions range in severity from mild structural abnormalities to complete absence of the ear, or as in Zaylen’s case, just a small remnant of the ear lobe is present.
Mrs Huysamen, Zaylen’s mother, shares:
“My greatest wish is to see my son live a normal life without being hurt and made fun of for looking different to other children. My family and I are so grateful to SPAR and SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane, Smile Foundation and the wonderful doctors who are doing this #4Smiles.”
Thirteen-year-old Karabo, who was born with a cleft lip and palate, is scheduled to undergo a cleft palate repair. Due to his cleft palate opening, Karabo has faced challenges as this condition made it difficult for him to eat normally, causing food to come out through his nose. It also affected his speech, making it hard for him to communicate clearly, which led to teasing and laughter from his peers. This, in turn, affected his self-esteem and performance at school.
Lebohang, Karabo’s mother, expressed her gratitude and excitement for the upcoming surgery that will be performed during Smile Week. This surgery will provide him with the opportunity to lead a more normal life and look forward to school without the burden of his condition.
A lot of people are behind Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital’s upcoming Smile Week, including the massive support for this year’s Spar Women’s Challenge Tshwane, the Jacaranda FM Good Morning Angels and the Smile Train.
“The most precious gift you can give someone is your time, which is why we hold immense appreciation for the surgeons, medical professionals and staff of Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital who will be giving these children their time, dedication, and the life-changing surgery they need…
“We are also most thankful to Smile Train for their generous grant and support, enabling us to reach a larger number of children with cleft lip and palate and deliver essential treatments.” concludes Kim Robertson Smith.
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