A brighter future for 25 Free State children Universitas Academic Hospital Smile Week
When Oregolele was born, her mother Matlatsi was over the moon. Her beautiful, smiley daughter was perfect in every way. Matlatsi noticed the little girl’s ears looked different. Doctors confirmed she had been born with bilateral constricted ears – a genetic disorder that was only repairable through specialist surgery. Matlatsi wished her daughter could have normal ears and look like her friends.
Now, five years later, Matlatsi’s dream is about to come true as Oregolele receives the surgery she has been so desperately waiting for, for so long. She is being operated on as part of the upcoming Universitas Academic Hospital Smile Week, which is sponsored by Vodacom and taking place from 4 to 8 September 2017 in Bloemfontein.
“Oregolele’s hearing is perfect but physically, her ears remain small and curled in on themselves. Sadly, this has seen her being teased at preschool. Despite this, Oregolele remains a happy, confident little girl who is always ready with a willing smile,” explains Moira Gerszt, Smile Foundation’s Operations Executive Director. “This surgery represents an amazing opportunity for Oregolele, who will no longer feel left out next year when she goes to ‘big school’.”
Surgeons will operate on both ears, trying first to fashion her new ear lobes from the existing cartilage there. If necessary, additional cartilage can be taken from the ribcage and used to supplement the graft.
Another anxious mother hoping for a better life for her child is Motshello Maleme, whose eight-month-old baby boy, Obohlokoa, will undergo a bilateral cleft lip repair this Smile Week. The surgery will enable little Obohlokoa to feed better, as up until now he has needed a special milk bottle.
Oregolele and Obohlokoa are two of 25 paediatric patients from across the Free State being operated on this Smile Week, which is made possible by the medical and administrative personnel at Universitas Academic Hospital, Smile Foundation and Vodacom Foundation.
Speaking on behalf of Vodacom, Market Central Region Manager, Marelize Beukes said: “All children deserve the chance to reach their full potential in life. The Vodacom Foundation is privileged to partner the Smile Foundation in helping these youngsters regain the full use of their facial expressions.”
Beukes says: “Vodacom, through the Vodacom Foundation has been supporting the Smile Foundation since 2007. With one or two sponsored Smile Weeks per year, the lives of young patients with cleft lip, palate and other facial abnormalities, are transformed. With over R21 million donated to date, Vodacom is committed to continue doing its bit to put smiles on our nation’s children.”
“On behalf of the Smile Foundation, I would like to thank Professor Jooste and the entire medical team, assisted by the hospital administration, for their enthusiastic support of this Smile Week. Together with the hospital and our incredible donor, Vodacom, we can make a real difference in the lives of these children over the next five days,” says Gerszt, adding that the majority of surgeries relate to cleft lip and palate repair.