Giving Children A Future
Consultant anaesthetist Nurhayati Lubis has recently returned from a very special mission
In March, I was one of a team of 54 female volunteers who helped 130 Moroccan children find their smiles.
I’m a consultant anaesthetist with the NHS and this was my eighth mission with Operation
Smile, a charity which has given life-changing cleft lip or cleft palate surgery to hundreds of thousands of children and adults since it was founded in 1982.
Worldwide, every three minutes, a child is born with a cleft condition – a gap or split in the upper lip and/or roof of the mouth. In many parts of the world, a child with a cleft condition is considered untouchable or cursed and they may be shunned by their community. They may struggle to eat, speak or smile. As they get older, a cleft lip or cleft palate will affect every aspect of their lives, including job opportunities and marriage prospects.
Fixing a cleft lip or palate is a relatively simple surgical procedure. In the UK, a cleft lip is repaired before a child is six months old and a cleft palate is operated on by the age of one. However, for children in many other countries, surgery isn’t an option. Local hospital staff may not have the necessary skills or, in countries without the privilege of free healthcare, the cost of treatment may be prohibitive.
Since it was founded in 1982, Operation Smile’s missions have helped people all over the world. My Operation Smile missions have taken me to Latin America, Africa and the Philippines and, everywhere I’ve been, I’ve witnessed the enormous difference this surgery makes to children – and to adults who were unable to have their cleft lip or cleft palate fixed when they were young.
Before an Operation Smile mission arrives in a country, local co-ordinators visit towns and villages looking for people born with cleft conditions. They also use local radio and television,
“Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve witnessed the enormous difference this makes”
billboards and social media to let as many people as possible know that cleft defects can be fixed – and when and where Operation Smile will be offering this free treatment.
The mission I was part of in March 2020 was Operation Smile’s first all-female international medical mission – and it was a great success.
At the start of our twoweekk
Malnutrition was another reason we decided against operating on some children. Babies born with a cleft condition struggle to feed correctly and usually become underweight, often with life-threatening malnutrition. Instead, we provided the parents with nutritional advice and support so they could gain weight and, at a later date, undergo surgery.
The most memorable patient I saw on this mission was a baby we didn’t operate on. She was only ten days old and very underweight due to the large cleft in her lip that was preventing her from latching on to her mum’s breast. As this baby was too young for surgery, our dentists made a special feeding plate to cover the gap in her lip and palate so she could feed and gain weight before having surgery when she’s old enough.
After completing the screening process, 130 children underwent surgery. Many of those children were too young to be aware that they looked different or that there was a problem with the roof of their mouth. With the older ones, there was a sense of excitement and happiness about what lay ahead. We have a little pedal car so young patients can “drive” to the operating theatre for their 40-minute surgery and these children were desperate for their turn to drive the car.
As an anaesthetist, I’m usually in the recovery room when a child comes round. That’s a very emotional time for the child’s parents. At last, their son or daughter looks like every other child. With help from our dentists and speech therapists and the local support team, they’ll soon be able to talk, eat and smile. There are often a lot of tears in the recovery room – tears of joy.
A simple operation gave every one of these 130 children the chance to be normal. Fixing their cleft condition opened up their potential, enabling them to live their lives to the full. Operation Smile gives children a future. www.myweekly.co.uk
Oxford is well known for its ancient university and beautiful buildings, so it’s no wonder that many films and TV shows have been shot amidst its dreaming spires.
One iconic British character synonymous with Oxford is Inspector Morse, whose series focusing on him and his partner Sergeant Lewis solving mysterious crimes lasted for an incredible 13 years! The programme was so popular that it gave rise to not one but two spin-off shows – Lewis and Endeavour.
Morse,Lewisand Endeavour share many
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