Johannesburg - Local celebrities such as Miss South Africa Ntandoyenkosi Kunene, Maps Maponyane, and Fiona Nay of Rhythm City were on hand to encourage the children as they awaited their turn to receive the life-changing surgery.
The celebs were invited to Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital by the Smile Foundation, which, supported by the Dis-Chem Foundation, is facilitating a week-long, concentrated surgical rollout for patients with cleft lips and palettes.
The Smile Foundation, aside from sponsoring ward 275 and fundraising for the operations, which can amount to R500 000, is more interested in growing awareness about the organisation.
“We need to let South Africans know that there is help for children and adults who have this condition,” said Hedley Lewis, executive director of the Smile Foundation.
Among the children was Shayman Struthers, who underwent 13-hour re-animation surgery to his face yesterday as part of Smile Week 2016 at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital.
The awareness-building and education week also saw six other young patients with cleft lip and palette abnormalities receive treatment.
Though most candidates for the re-animation surgery have the condition following a congenital abnormality, Shayman developed the facial syndrome because of years of chemotherapy and radiation.
He was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma when he was four years old and has been in remission since he was seven.
His mother, Elize Struthers, was a bundle of nerves but confident.
She said that following 10 years of remission, Shayman was lucky that the doctors had told her about the opportunity for him to receive treatment for his condition.
Tim Christofides, one of the doctors conducting the surgery on Shayman, said that facial re-animation was a lengthy, complicated procedure but that it had immediate, life-changing results.
The intricate operation meant taking a muscle from the leg and then, with a facelift incision, they reconnect the vessels in order to regenerate the facial nerves. “The beauty is that it is a functional thing and changes their life completely.”
According to Christofides, Smile Week is also a chance for registrars from all over the world to be part of the reconstructive process and obtain valuable knowledge.
“There are so few of us who do this, and in this environment we can learn so much. The skills here are immeasurable, and every cleft lip and palette operation is different.”
The chief executive of Charlotte Maxeke, Gladys Bogoshi, lauded the hospital's doctors, nurses and support staff.
“The Smile Foundation is also special to us. Since it was established, they have helped us so much.
"And thank you to Dis-Chem for always being able to provide the consumables.”
The medical team, headed by expert surgeon Dr George Psaras, is renowned around the world.