Surgeries to put smiles on faces of 11 children

LIKE most little boys, Lesray van Zyl, 6, is energetic, loves to play and aspires to become a soccer player when he grows up. However, Lesray was born with a rare Tessier 10 facial cleft, which means his skull is not completely covering his brain, making him vulnerable to injury.

The facial cleft restricts him from any physical activity that could possibly lead to brain damage – but things are about to change for Lesray and 10 other children this week.

Tygerberg Academic Hospital, in conjunction with the Smile Foundation, will host Smile Week this week, which will see Lesray’s facial cleft being fixed and 10 other children receiving cleft lip and palate surgery which will change their lives for the better.

The surgeries will take place over the course of this week and Lesray will be the first to go under the knife today.

During the four-hour surgery, surgeons will repair Lesray’s facial cleft with a split bone graft from another area of his skull. The bone will be split in two and one part of the bone will be used to cover the skull defect.

“The plastic surgeons will work in a multidisciplinary team, with a neurosurgeon and an anaesthetist experienced with paediatric patients,” said Smile Foundation operations executive Moira Gerszt.

“The team also includes paediatricians who will assist with Lesray’s care.

“We are delighted to announce that with a total of 11 surgeries happening this Smile Week, we are assisting more children than would typically receive support during a normal theatre slate week.

“We have ensured that the Tygerberg Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery will receive additional support for these children in their care,” said Gerszt.

The surgeries were made possible through Smile’s partnership with Big Shoe foundation in Germany who have soccer players Mesut Özil from Arsenal and Paul Pogba from Man United as ambassadors, and together they helped raise the money.

For the first time, Lesray will be given the chance to enjoy a normal life and his mother Anthea Titus is excited for the opportunities that will open up for her son.

“He was born like this, I was very scared and a friend referred me to this hospital. I only found out last week about Smile.

“This will be his first operation and we’re very happy. I want him to be like other children… at the moment he can’t see too well with his eye,” said Titus.

To find out more about the Smile Foundation and the work they do, visit www.smilefoundation.co.za.