Support groups a vital lifeline
WHEN Jacky gave birth to her baby boy at Dora Nginza Hospital in Port Elizabeth, she had no idea that he was going to be born with a cleft lip and palate.
“The moment Jacky saw her baby for the first time was frightening. She felt scared and alone. Telling her family about her child’s condition was also a very sensitive issue as she did not know how they would respond. Taking a taxi and going anywhere in public was another key worry for her because she was worried that people would stare and make nasty comments,” said Heléna Cullis, one of the founders of Cleft Friends, the only organisation in South Africa offers support to parents from mothers who speak only from experience.
Cullis formed Cleft Friends after giving birth to her son Joel, who was also diagnosed with a cleft palate at birth. She had no idea what a cleft palate was and felt alone and clueless.
“I had to grieve about the vision I had of my first child and embrace the reality that involved my newborn needing plastic surgery when he was six months old and having to feed him with a special needs bottle.”
Cullis says Cleft Friends was able to help guide and teach her how to cope with these situations.
“On arrival, I found a quiet space where I was able to talk to Jacky and find out how Cleft Friends could support her. The gift pack I gave her with the Cleft Lip and Palate Parent Guide made her feel empowered to be able to ask her team of doctors’ questions that would lessen her anxiety and worries for her baby and her baby’s future.”
Tebogo Tsotetsi, the lead support mom for U Matter, a support network formed in partnership between Smile Foundation and Avela Foundation, echoes Cullis’s sentiments, saying parents and guardians of child burn survivors feel far more comfortable approaching her and opening up to
her knowing that she has endured something similar.
“We have a mom who tragically lost her son last year. She was absolutely devastated, but at least could feel confident connecting with me because she had heard my story. Providing a safe place for mothers with similar circumstances to connect has proven invaluable in not only providing them with the tools to deal with their child, but with the tools on how they can navigate this crisis in their lives.”
Almost six years ago, Tsotetsi life changed forever. After returning home from a church concert on an extremely cold winter’s night, she and her husband turned on a heater in her children’s bedroom to warm it up before going to bed.
Five minutes later, when they returned to switch off the heater, the room was in flames. Her youngest son Kutlwano passed away from smoke inhalation and her eldest, Molemo, has endured so many surgeries she has lost count (she thinks over 14 surgeries).
Parents who are caring for children born with a cleft lip or palate, or who have been the victim of severe burns, are finding much-needed support, guidance and a sense of community from parent and peer support groups like Cleft Friends and U Matter, a support network for children and their families to guide their recovery from the brutal post-traumatic physical, psychological and emotional scars inflicted by traumatic burns. Both are initiatives of Smile Foundation.
Hedley Lewis, chief executive of the Smile Foundation, says, providing a safe platform where mothers, caregivers and guardians can share their stories, seek advice, and voice their concerns has proven incredibly powerful in reducing anxiety and dealing with trauma.
“When a child’s challenges first emerge, parents often find themselves feeling not only confused but alone. Often blaming themselves, many of these moms often suffer in silence and develop mental health issues as a result because they do not get the support they need.
“In addition, they may not know anyone who has experienced the same kinds of problems, and it may feel too painful to share the details of what they’re going through with friends and family. Cleft Friends and U Matter aim to bridge this gap by providing mothers with a safe place to form meaningful connections, find support, vent, seek advice, and access resources.”
He adds the uncertainty and isolation surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic has further compounded this stress and anxiety, making organisations like Cleft Friends and U Matter even more important and relevant.
“The stress for parents and caregivers having to navigate the coronavirus pandemic and undergo their children’s surgeries during lockdown has been epic. The U Matter and Cleft Friends are on WhatsApp and Facebook.
A RARE, intriguing trove of South African gold coins discovered in a Swiss vault has been released by the South African Mint, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB).
While it is true that gold was evacuated from Pretoria by the then-Transvaal Government during the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902), no accurate account has ever been produced of its fate, spawning an urban legend of the “Kruger Millions”. The appeal of this missing gold thus makes the recent discovery of a large parcel of the gold Kruger ponde a significant find.
Named “The Lost Hoard” by the numismatic community, the Kruger pondes were stored in the Netherlands during the early 20th century. The parcel was then transferred to Switzerland before World War II (1939–1945) for safekeeping and remained in a Swiss vault for decades, until it was recently sold at an auction.
Currently in the possession of the South African Mint, a true purveyor of the country’s rich coin history, these original, certified and graded coins are available for purchase, along with a 2019 limited-edition privy-mark
Krugerrand. These unique coins are available in two sets.
The first set is made up of an 18931900 Lost Hoard Kruger half-pond with a 2019 1/10 oz gold privy-mark proof Krugerrand. The second set consists of an 1893-1900 Lost Hoard Kruger full pond and a 2019 ¼ oz gold privy-mark proof Krugerrand. The sets have limited editions of 233 and 677 units respectively.
“The discovery of the Lost Hoard is truly awe-inspiring, and it is with great pride that we offer the coin sets to the numismatic fraternity. The sets are the closest, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
to physically own authentic remnants of the Transvaal gold,” says Honey Mamabolo, managing director of the South African Mint.
The authenticity of the hoard find has been independently verified and graded by the Numismatic Guarantee Corporation in Florida, in the US. Each coin has been individually graded, certified and slabbed. The certification confirms the authenticity, legal tender status (1893–1900) as well as the correct weight of each individual coin.
The packaging features, among other things, a replica of the original money bag in which the coins remained hidden for more than a
century.
The South African Mint is the continent’s leading manufacturer of legal coin tender, as well as commemorative and rare collectible coins.
For further information on the sale of the coins: collectables@samint.co.za and +27 (0)12 677 2460/2482.