As what was described as “always an energising week” and “no other marathon like this one”, another Smile Week took place at the Burns unit of the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital (RMSH) in Kimberley.
Through this week, the lives of 25 young children from all over the Northern Cape, as well as that of their parents and families, changed for the better with, amongst others, cleft lip and palate repairs.
From Steinkopf, Donna-Lé Cloete and her 17-month-old son, Doraldo, arrived in Kimberley for Doraldo’s cleft lip to be repaired during the week of 15 to 19 April.
“I knew about the Smile Foundation, and when I saw my son was born with a cleft lip, I contacted the foundation,” Cloete says.
She was referred to the Burns unit for Doraldo’s surgery, and after a waiting list and transport issues in the public sector, they were finally able to be in Kimberley for his surgery.
From Richmond, mom Nosipha Mali and her 19-month-old son, Imthandile, also had a life-changing experience during the Smile Week when his cleft lip was repaired. Mali says she has been in consultation with the Burns unit and the Smile Foundation since her son’s birth, and she was advised that the surgery could be done once he is a bit older.
From Askham in the Kalahari region, mom Isabella Khowe and Jacqowen (5) arrived with patient transport for her child’s cleft palate to be repaired.
Khowe said it was only at a later stage that she heard about the Smile Foundation, and she then immediately made contact to find out about surgery. She said a second operation would later follow.
From Douglas, the 19-month-old Lizaan Oliphant was taken to the RMSH by mom Lorenchia for her cleft lip to be repaired. By the end of the year, Lizaan will also undergo surgery to repair her cleft palate.
Another young patient was the two-year-old Juraygan Markus, who also had his cleft palate repair. He and his mom, Emeron, are from Upington.
“Being able to significantly change the lives of young, hopeful mothers and their children in need of reconstructive surgery is just one of the many things we love most about Smile Week,” says Tarri Parfitt, chief executive officer (CEO) of Smile Foundation.
“It is only through the kindness and dedication of surgeons, medical teams, and hospital support staff, as well as our financial sponsors, that such miracles can happen.
“Pledging your support for Smile Foundation is one of the most powerful actions you can take to help the most vulnerable in society,” she emphasises.
The new unit manager of the Burns unit, Sr Monza Modise-Keetile, says Smile Week changes so many lives, and thanked the Smile Foundation for their constant support.
For many years the head of the RMSH’s Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Burns, Dr Maria Giaquinto-Cilliers, recognised the involvement and contribution of every staff member in the unit
The RSMH is the only tertiary hospital in the Northern Cape and through dedicated specialist surgeons, communities far and wide are served.
According to the Smile Foundation, many mothers in the vast region of the Northern Cape grapple with unemployment, exacerbating their challenges. Adding to that, rural hospitals are without the expertise of specialist surgeons.
This situation, coupled with financial hardships faced by rural and farming community patients, necessitates long-distance travel for specialised medical care.
Coordinated by the Smile Foundation, Smile Week is a full working week, during which surgeons, their assisting surgical teams, other medical professionals and hospital staff perform reconstructive surgery on disadvantaged children suffering from physical anomalies and burn injuries.
The foundation describes Smile Week as a life-changing initiative geared to help bridge the gap between young patients whose families cannot otherwise afford specialised operations and the medical specialists who are able to assist them.
