David* has been living with his little sister in a missionary children’s home in Sucre, Bolivia for about 2 years. He was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate and had a bad operation as a baby. As a result, David speaks very poorly, is very ashamed and often leaves the house only wearing a face mask behind which he can hide.
We learn about David’s fate from his carers. During an aid mission by our experienced surgeon Dr. Villalba in Sucre, David will have corrective surgery on his lip at the end of 2023. However, further surgeries on the palate are necessary to help him speak better.
In mid-2024, David’s palate was finally operated at Dr. Villalba’s clinic in Tarija. The next step towards the best possible quality of life without restrictions caused by the cleft is orthodontic treatment for the boy.
Unfortunately, David’s story is not an isolated case. Patients in Bolivia who have already been operated on by other surgeons often come to our doctors in the hope that the poor surgical result can be improved by corrective surgery. Unfortunately, this is only possible to a limited extent.
The first surgery counts
Children have a real chance to have a very good surgical result, but especially the first time they receive surgery on a cleft (primary surgery). If this surgery is not done to a high standard, it is almost impossible to achieve the same result through corrective surgery that would have been possible with the first operation. So it is important to get it right immediately – “the first surgery counts”.
Apart from that, corrective surgeries of course also means additional surgeries for the children that would not have been necessary if the first surgery had been good. Every additional involves stress and a small but existing risk during the anesthesia for the children. It is very sad for us and our surgeons to see how poorly some children were operated on and the consequences they now have to live with.
We are happy that David and his sister have found a new home in the missionary society in Sucre, where they feel comfortable and where we can give David the help he needs.
* the name of the child has been changed throughout this story
