Smile Week, an initiative sponsored by the Vodacom Foundation in collaboration with the Smile Foundation and the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department of PE Provincial Hospital in Gqeberha, commenced on Monday, September 11.
The MEC for Health, Nomakhosazana Meth, welcomed Vodacom Foundation Smile Week, saying at least 30 young patients in Nelson Mandela Bay will have their lives changed for the better. She said that the department was proud to be associated with the Smile Foundation, and that it is a champion for the needy.
“We strongly believe in partnerships and collaborations, and the foundation has been one of our most reliable partners over several years,” said Meth.
“We welcome all the doctors who have dedicated their time and skills to changing the lives of the young people who will benefit from this great partnership,” added Meth.
Smile Week sees surgeons, their surgical teams, and other medical professionals come together to perform reconstructive surgery on children whose families would not otherwise have been able to afford it.
The Smile Foundation’s Regional Co-ordinator in the Eastern Cape, Tanya Jackson, welcomed parents, guests and the media to a morning full of brave little smiles, and a renewed hope in the lives of many families.
“The Smile Foundation is passionate about helping young patients and their families make the surgery journey as smooth as possible, we help with transportation to the hospital for the many visits, because we understand that some patients come from far areas, even remote, and can’t always afford it. One of the most important aspects is the therapy afterwards as well.
“Life after a child has gone through an operation is an adjustment for both the child and the parent/family. They have to now get used to the child’s new look, even if it’s a good change. So, we assist with the therapy to deal with those changes and any other emotional or psychological need,” said Jackson.
For Dr Chris van der Walt and his dedicated medical team, all the hours put into the surgeries are worth it, because of the smiles they see on the faces of their little patients.
“We appreciate the work done by the Smile Foundation and the Vodacom Foundation; they really help the department with the overall care of the patients, before and after the procedures.
“Their financial assistance in some cases means one more patient that the department can take care of. I must mention how amazing the nursing staff is; what a dedicated team. We don’t ever need to tell them what to do, in fact it’s often the other way around,” joked Van Der Walt.
He and his team, in partnership with the two foundations, provided free corrective surgery to almost 30 paediatric patients, assisting them with various types of facial abnormalities.
Five-year-old Siphelele Pringle and her mother, Yonela Pringle, had just come out of surgery on Monday, September 11.
“I’m so happy that my daughter was able to receive the help she desperately needed,” said a relieved Pringle, whose daughter suffered with a cleft lip.
“A part of the bottom lip was transferred to the top, then the two lips were stitched together to encourage the blood flow,” explained Jackson.
For her bubbly child, Pringle said she imagines not being able to talk will be more difficult than not being able to have solid foods, “Yho, Siphelele is such a chatterbox; just before her procedure she kept asking when her turn was, and playfully teasing some nurses. She’s generally a very cheerful, talkative girl, certainly the entertainer at home,” she laughed, while a wide-eyed Siphelele rolled her eyes at her mother.
“At Smile Foundation, we believe that deep empathy and an unconditional love for others is what enables us to change destinies. Being able to give a child a secure sense of self – something that every child so deserves – is what drives all of our Smile Weeks and motivates us daily,” said Marc Lubner, co-founder and executive chairman of Smile Foundation.
