A ‘curse’ that can be healed
WELCOME RELIEF: A VERY MISUNDERSTOOD DEFECT
The Smile and DisChem foundations have sponsored surgery that mend the lives of sufferers .
The Charlotte Maxeke Hospital room radiated love and warmth with parents sharing their journeys of hardship, hope and faith. Dorcas Thabete, 37, held her one-year-old boy, Malusi Dominique, as he was about to go in for cleft palate surgery.
Baby Malusi is one of 17 children who stand to benefit from reconstructive surgery at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, as part of a collaborative project between the Smile Foundation and the DisChem Foundation,
Malusi was born with a cleft palate and was waiting to undergo his second surgery. Thabete, a mother of two, held her baby in her arms and expressed the anxiousness and relief of her baby finally undergoing surgery.
“I am nervous but I have faith that the doctors will do a good job. I have faith that he will be okay,” Thabete said.
The mother said all her children were born with cleft palates and she revealed she had lost one baby, who was also born with a cleft palate, at nine months old.
“My baby died and that was very painful for me,” she said. Thabete said her family’s support system helped her deal with the ordeal of loss.
“It was difficult for me. All my children have had cleft palates and I would sometimes ask myself why this was constantly happening to me.
“Most people would ask if my family was cursed. That would really hurt me,” she said.
Thandiwe Mthembu, 39, and Vumile Shabangu, 42, the parents of a two-year-old boy also born with a cleft palate, shared similar sentiments.
“Most people don’t know what a cleft palate is. We would get stares and people would think that we hurt our own child. A lot of people would come up to us and tell us that we should take him to traditional healers,” said Shabangu.
Thabete also emphasised the importance of a strong support system and shared her wish to have the father of her children emotionally supporting through the journey.
“Although he actively plays a role in their lives, I just wish he was here supporting me. It hurts me a lot because I have to emotionally deal with this alone and it is not easy for me,” she confessed.
Despite the hardship, Thabete spoke about the importance of being informed and being aware of the importance of reconstructive surgeries.
“Most people don’t know about these surgeries and that they are her possible. It is important to read and to ask questions,” Thabete said.
Maryke Stander, 34, is the mother of a seven-month-old boy who was born with a bilateral cleft palate.
“What was most difficult for me was dealing with society and their judgments. People would stare at my child’s mouth and whisper,” she said.
Thabete recalled her journey with her first-born’s cleft palate surgery and the backlash she had endured from society.
“My child only received surgery when she was in Grade 3 and that was hard for her to deal with. She would come home crying because kids at school would tease her for being different. It hurt me a lot and I would constantly talk to her teachers about the situation and how it was affecting her.
“I would always tell her to ignore the teasing and I always told her how beautiful she was. Now that she has had the surgery, she is happier and she is always smiling,” the mother said.
Thabete expressed gratitude to the Smile Foundation, adding that the amount of love and care she received was overwhelming.
“Because of the Smile Foundation, I know more about reconstructive surgery. They have really helped me in getting more informed about cleft palates. The doctors have been very helpful and I can see that it comes from their heart. The love and support they have given me is genuine,” she said.
Stander said the doctors and nurses were always supportive and eager to assist her.
“I would even call at 2am if I had problems with feeding. They would never hesitate to help me. They are always patient with me and they never get annoyed. I don’t have words to describe their big hearts,” she said.