By Sherine Atieno.                     

It requires determination, resilience, and perseverance to overcome some adversities that we face in real life. The strength of a mother is the transformation journey.

In partnership with Smile Train, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital run Free Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery. The screening and surgery were scheduled to commence from the 21st to the 23rd of May 2023. Not only did the information reach the residents of Kisumu County, but also those from various corners of the country.

The tale of Doreen Atieno, a 39 years old grandmother to a one-year-old girl, from Ukwala, Siaya county is one out of tens of cases of Cleft Lip and Palate admitted in Ward 1 at JOOTRH. She boldly expressed her deepest experience of nursing two patients with different issues. That is her daughter, who is the teen mother to the baby, as well as her granddaughter.

In her story, the woman spelled out that her daughter was still schooling when she conceived. After her delivery, she was expected to lactate the baby for some months before resuming back to school. Unfortunately, the mother fell ill to an “unspecified condition”  that led the grandmother to take full responsibility to take care of the two.

She narrates her granddaughter’s fate that befall her immediately after her birth. The innocent soul experienced severe physical pains especially when she began weaning. The condition worsened to the extent that she couldn’t take any solid meals to her mouth. It became more challenging for the kid to feed. As a result, the only food she could take was liquids. It was for this reason that the woman realized that her granddaughter had a serious medical problem that required a quick medical check-up for the well-being of the baby.

In a public hospital, the cost of cleft lip surgery runs to 50,000 while that of cleft palate is 80,000. The amount was shockingly expensive to her. She could not afford these huge sums of figures that were demanded. The woman felt very downhearted at that moment. However, when she first heard the good news of free Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital on Radio Ramogi, she was very delightful. At first, she couldn’t believe it was going to happen. When the exact dates were announced, she was thrilled. She could smell some sense of relief and hoped to offload the burden of the illness for the innocent baby.

Fortunately, the little girl was soon taken to the theater room for the operation. The smiley face of the professional medics portrayed a surge of hope to the woman as she expected a very high level of expertise. The child would get a new charming smile than before. At this moment, the life of the child was left in the hands of the proficient surgeons. “I pray the surgery comes out a successful one.” She uttered.

Excitedly, the woman expressed her sincere gratitude to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital for having made a lasting impact on society. Her solicitation was directed to the Almighty for making her granddaughter enabling everything to fall into place. Finally, there was light at the end of the tunnel. The youngster wore a pleasant smile.

Even after traversing through snares of darkness, wearing a smile is a top-notch concealer for the hardships. “Nothing you wear is more important than your smile.” They are part of who we are.

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