Little Suliaman Shaikh, who is two, enjoys the balloon decorations on the fifth floor of the Port Elizabeth Provincial Hospital provided to celebrate the start of Smile Week with his mom, Amreen.
The fourth annual Smile Week began with a huge gesture of love from mothers whose children underwent surgery last year to moms whose children will be operated on this week.
Earlier this year, three mothers of former patients at Port Elizabeth’s Provincial Hospital, with the help of the Smile Foundation, transformed the rundown waiting room into an area with colourful artwork on the walls.
The foundation is an NGO that raises funds and coordinates surgery for children who need facial deformities like cleft lips and palates corrected.
A Smile Week is held annually in Port Elizabeth with plastic surgeons donating their time and skills to perform these operations.
Twenty-six children are scheduled for surgery this week.
Port Elizabeth Smile Foundation coordinator Tanya Jackson said the room had been redone using R220 000 raised by athletes from the Smile Foundation team that took part in this year’s Ironman competition. The Smile Week mothers then used their 67 minutes for Mandela Day to make beautiful mosaics that now adorn the walls.
Interior architect Wilandi Esterhuysen designed the room as well as some of the mosaic work.
Graphic artist Frank Punshon also designed wall art that tells the story of the Smile Foundation through interesting statistics, pictures and words.
“The moms really wanted an opportunity to give something back,” Jackson said.
Alice Miles said her three-year-old son, Antonio, had first had cleft palate surgery in 2013.
“He was so small and had lots of medical problems.
“After he had his operation during Smile Week, we could teach him to talk.”
Her Smile Week hope is that “parents will feel at home while they wait”.
Jay-Dee Thyssen’s mom, Heidi, another mother who worked on the art, saw her son through surgery last year.
Doctors created new lower eyelids and plumped up Jay-Dee’s cheeks. Jay-Dee was born with Treacher Collins syndrome, a rare congenital defect that causes the abnormal development of facial bones and other facial tissue.
“Such a lot has happened since Jay-Dee had his operation. So many doors have opened for us,” she said.
Smile Week is sponsored by the Airports Company of South Africa.
-Estelle Ellis
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