The corridors of Provincial Hospital in Gqeberha came alive with the sound of innocent little laughs as a group of children waited in anticipation to receive life-changing reconstructive surgery on Thursday.
Seven-year-old Thandolwethu Gaceni from Kariega was among the 15 patients receiving specialised reconstructive surgery at the hospital this week as part of the Smile Foundation’s Surgical Programme.
The three-day programme, running from Wednesday to Friday, is providing patients with procedures addressing a range of reconstructive needs, including cleft lip and palate, burns and other conditions.
Thandolwethu was born with microtia, a condition in which the external ear is small and underdeveloped.
His surgery marks the first stage of reconstructing his ear, using cartilage taken from his rib.
For Thandolwethu and his mother, Tasha Klaas, 35, the procedure marks the beginning of a long-awaited journey towards reconstructing his ear and young life.
“I don’t even have the words to describe how I’m feeling right now,” Klaas said.
“We are both so excited. My child experienced so much bullying when he started school.
“The bullying has stopped but I still want my child to live a good life.
“I want him to stop thinking that he is different from other children, because he is not.”
The surgical team includes Dr Mikeshnie Padayachee, Dr Sarita Pandey, Dr Saulene Swart, Dr Konrad Hoekstra and Dr Chris van Der Walt.
Swart said the reconstructive procedures could help children avoid feeling different as they grew older.
“The main reason we do these types of things is that these children are still small, but when they grow up there’s a lot of psychological things that go around with it.
“What is important for us is to make sure that every child feels like he is normal, that they mustn’t realise that they are different or think that because they have an abnormality, they are different,” Swart said.
Amid the activity at the hospital, children waiting for surgery and those returning from theatre remained in high spirits.
Some were seen running around with bandages still covering their surgical wounds, showcasing their innocence in the middle of this life-changing moment.
The Smile Foundation has been operating for 26 years and has assisted more than 4,000 families and patients through its programmes.
The organisation operates at 17 hospitals countrywide, with the Gqeberha programme forming part of its broader national surgical work.
Smile Foundation chief operating officer Tshidi Chabane-Xaba said the organisation was not only changing the lives of individual children but also their families and communities.
“This doesn’t just change 15 lives,” Chabane-Xaba said.
“It changes 15 families, and changes the communities they come from.
“We are treating kids with burns as well, we are doing all the other plastic reconstructive surgeries that are coming in, so we’re not just focusing on cleft lip and palate.”