The Smile Foundation is celebrating
Smile Week by offering 17
children life-changing reconstructive
operations to put a smile on
their faces.The 18-year-old foundation,
which is offering the operations
in collaboration with Charlotte
Maxeke Johannesburg Academic
Hospital, reached out to the children
awaiting facial reconstructive
surgery and gave them a gift many
parents would have been unable to
afford.
The young patients, aged from
just three months to 13 years,
received operations ranging from
cleft lip and cleft palate repairs, to
insertion of a tissue expander due
to burn injuries and a second stage
ear reconstruction.
Three-month-old Johannes
(“JJ”) Jakobus, who has a bilateral
cleft lip, was scheduled to undergo
his first reconstructive surgery on Tuesday.
His father, Henning Smith, said
they were surprised when they
found that JJ had a facial deformity
after he was born.
However, the surprise did not
last long as JJ was “still perfect in
all others ways”.
“He is the friendliest baby I’ve
ever met. He has a bubbly personality,”
said Smith.
“We think the Smile Foundation
is a great initiative and we only
found out about it when we had
JJ. This is something we as South
African must all be aware of.”
WAITING GAME: Vumile Shabangu and partner Thandiwe Mthembu wait for their son Tshenolo, who was in surgery for the third time at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital. Picture: Matthews Baloyi/ANA
Thandiwe Mthembu, an unemployed
mother-of-two from
Potchefstroom, told The Star that
the organisation helped financially
to get reconstructive surgery. Her
two-year-old son, Tshenolo, has a
cleft palate.
“The first time I saw it, I was in
shock,” she said.
Mthembu said the reconstructive
surgery Tshenolo underwent
yesterday was his third in two
years.
The head of plastic and reconstructive
surgery at Charlotte
Maxeke, Professor Elias Ndobe,
said that aside from the surgical
assistance, the children were also
going to benefit from additional
healthcare and support.
“Reconstructive surgery enables
these children to integrate
more easily into their communities;
these operations are truly life
changing for them,” he said.
The Smile Foundation’s Moira
Gerszt said Charlotte Maxeke had
since the beginning recognised the
potential of working with them
to alleviate the pressure on state
resources in addressing this need.
Hedley Lewis, the chief executive
of the foundation, said the
initiative was successful because
of collaboration from the medical
staff, psychologists and the parents
of the “young heroes”.
“For us it’s about working and
supporting, and making sure that
the children who really need the
support are one day going to be
included back into our economy
and in the future of South Africa,”
said Lewis.
This year, Smile Week was sponsored
by the Dis-Chem Foundation.
Lynette Saltzman from DisChem
said they were excited to
once again support Charlotte
Maxeke and the Smile Foundation
in helping to make a substantial
difference in children’s lives.
“We care deeply about our local
community. It is a privilege for us
to assist in this way,” she said.