Seventeen children were helped this week at the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital; some were given new smiles, while others received reconstructive surgery for burns.
Kimberly, South Africa (29 March 2022) – Since Madiba took the first step to help a little girl access the specialist facial reanimation surgery she desperately needed, Smile Foundation has continued to honour this legacy. In their 21 years of operation, they have assisted in changing the lives of over 4000 children affected by facial abnormalities and severe burns through the best possible surgical and psychological care during many Smile Weeks.
This Smile Week is no different. During the week commencing on 22 March, 17 brave children will undergo corrective surgery, and 17 families’ lives will change for the better at Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital in Kimberly.
Amongst these 17 children undergoing surgery are 10-year-old Ashton, 1-year-old Leona and 15-month-old Kate.
Ashton sustained severe burns to his right hand while his mom was working. He also has a tumour on his left hand. Because of the extensive scarring and imperfections on his hands, young Ashton is emotionally tormented by children who bully him at his school and often feels the need to hide his hands whenever he is in public. Ashton’s surgery will involve a syndactyly repair, contracture release and tumour removal, which will improve the appearance and the use of his hands.
Little Leona was born with a cleft palate. Her mother was shocked at the time of her diagnosis as it wasn’t expected but has since then managed to make peace with her daughter’s challenging condition. Being a single mom has not prevented her from dedicating all of her time, love and care to her daughter. Leona is still unable to make sounds like other babies her age because her cleft palate has affected her speech. Leona is booked for a cleft palate repair, which will help her eat and drink as other kids instinctively do and develop her ability to speak properly.
Kate was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. Her condition causes her to struggle while eating and drinking, as whatever nourishment she tries to ingest escapes through the gap in her lip. Her mother finds herself constantly fielding some intrusive questions from people wanting to know what happened and what caused her little girl’s facial abnormalities. As she is only 15 months, her mom is exceptionally nervous about her daughter’s surgery. Kate will undergo a cleft lip and palate repair, which will help her eat and drink more easily and assist her in later speech development.
Whilst we’re on the subject of creating smiles, Smile Foundation has also had some work done to its smile. To mark its milestone anniversary, its smile-shaped script logo has undergone an exciting makeover. Their new logo now sports a modern sans serif font that includes a ‘smile’ emoji in its name – bringing an instant smile to mind on first noticing it. 🙂 Furthermore, Smile Foundation has also extended its mission to include burn reconstructive surgery, given the vast number of children affected by burns in South Africa every day.
“Our heartfelt gratitude and admiration goes out to every one of the outstanding medical professionals at Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital, the administrators, sponsor, volunteers, colleagues and friends, who have gone above and beyond to sacrifice their time, change lives and make miracles happen.” – Kim Robertson Smith – CEO at Smile Foundation.
The greatest possibilities come into being, when we join our hearts and our hands to help our nation’s children overcome their difficulties – so that they can live the confident and happy lives they so deserve.
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