In July 2022, Kisitu Barbra, a young mother, went to hospital just like any expectant mother, to give birth to a beautiful bouncing baby boy. Every member of her family was filled with excitement, and they could not wait to welcome the newest member of their family who was about to step foot in this beautiful world we all call home.
Upon delivery, all filled with joy and relief, she didn’t realise that there was something wrong with her son until she was informed by the doctors that her new born child, had a weird condition called a Cleft lip.
“Cleft palate/lip is a common birth condition. It can occur alone or as part of a genetic condition or syndrome. Symptoms arise from the opening in the mouth. They include difficulty speaking and feeding. Surgery restores normal function with minimal scarring. If required, speech therapy helps correct speaking difficulties.” – Source: Mayo Clinic
Baby Raheem’s mother was concerned and desperate for her son’s Future.
She was so shocked to the extent that she got high blood pressure and blacked out due to the fact that she had never seen anything like that before.
The whole family panicked but remaining strong and hopeful, were their only options, as they were left puzzled on what to do next.
When the mother stabilised a few hours later, still, tears couldn’t stop flowing down her face. She could neither settle nor sleep throughout the whole night. Her sister, who was her caregiver, grabbed her phone and researched about this shocking condition they had experienced.
Hope arises from research the aunt was doing online.
After finding out that the defect could be fixed, now worry and fear set in, wondering where they were to get the money to cover the hospital bills and all the costs to complete the surgery.
An act of God happened, and it was at that very moment that they saw Touched Minds Charity Initiative page on Facebook. One of our main objectives is to create awareness and sensitisation and helping support the most vulnerable. The family got in touch with us and was connected to “Smile Train” which specialises these kinds of conditions.
To be continued …
