Sealing the Cleft

One week back, I had the opportunity to assist a Plastic surgeon Mr Lim YK from Ipoh in a few surgeries including Cleft Lip repair, cleft palate repair (palatoplasty), release of burn contracture and excision of a few tumours over the facial region.

Boy was I INSPIRED.

*cue light shining down from above with heavenly background acapella

I was reduced to that little girl with huge shimmering eyes staring in awe at the face i mean work of the surgeon.

It all happened during the cleft lip repair for a little boy at the mere age of 7 months.

The child had cleft lip where there was a ~1cm gap at the philtrum.

So the surgeon skillfully made a few markings on the child's lips and the magic began. Some parts were excised to finally seal up the defect and post operatively, the baby looked just like any other baby with perfect lips!

Imagine if this child had to face the world, go to preschool, grow up, work with the cleft lip defect. Cosmetically, antagonising for the child. Society is ruthless. They treat ppl based on appearances. There will be stigmatisation, jeering and it takes a measure of will power to overcome that. Other than that it will affect the child's speech and to an extent swallowing/chewing.

So there I was thinking in awe that this surgeon practically changed the child's life. I was in cloud nine that day. Even seriously considered taking up plastic surgery that time hehe. But that is another story.

This would be what I'd say to be THE week in my current surgical posting. Beautiful works by beautiful people to recreate beautiful lives.