Naratip's Seven Year Cleft Care Journey
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transformation Find out how you transform the lives of children – Summer 2016 Naratip’s Seven Year Cleft Care Journey At two days old, Naratip Yawirach ongoing dental treatment, speech was admitted into our partner project therapy, family counseling and the use in Chiang Rai, Thailand. She was born of a device called a nasoform (pictured) with cleft lip and cleft palate which to help reshape her nose. came as a shocking surprise to her par- Our team notes that when Naratip ents, Auiy and Than. Naratip’s parents first started attending speech camps, struggled to cope with this news and she was very shy and stuck closely by felt anxious about the treatment process. her mother’s side. Within a few years, Right away, their nerves were calmed she had become much more confident, by our partner social worker, Nid, who socializing with friends and speak- Step Up! explained what they could expect from ing aloud. Today, Naratip’s dream is Our 7th Annual Salsa for Smiles the surgery and the follow-up care to become a professional singer, a true event will take place on Thursday Naratip would require. testament to the power of long-term September 29, 2016, at Toronto’s Lula By the age of one, Naratip had cleft care and speech support. undergone two successful cleft repair Naratip will continue receiving Lounge. Advance tickets are now on surgeries but that was just the start of ongoing support, and will begin sale at www.transformingfaces.org/ her journey. Thanks to your support of orthodontic treatment at age 13. Thank events. Purchase before September 1 our work, Naratip has been receiving you for helping ensure children like and be entered in an early bird ongoing, comprehensive care over the her have the chance to grow into happy, prize draw! last seven years. This care has included healthy adults! Transforming Faces Transformation Summer 2016 1 NAM Training in Chile Last year, we hosted our first-ever nasoalveolar moulding (NAM) training for six South American cleft profession- als in Toronto and were overwhelmed by the positive results. Within eight months, 100 newborns had been treated with a NAM device – used to reshape the lips, gums and nose of infants prior to surgery – and nine additional health workers had been trained. Building on this success, our partners at Fundación Gantz in Chile decided to organize their own regional train- ing program with Transforming Faces’ support. In April 2016, they brought together 13 orthodontists and paediatric dentists from Chile, Peru and Argentina with cleft lip and palate. It serves as a that “the staff and board of Fundación to participate in an intensive three-day crucial training and knowledge centre Gantz are impressive professionals with course. Participants have since returned for other South American cleft profes- a profound commitment to the well- home and are already putting this new sionals, and we were thrilled to partner being of the children and their families. knowledge into practice. with them on this important initiative. I found it deeply humbling to watch Fundación Gantz is Chile’s leading TF Board Member, Nan Hudson, them at work.” hospital for the treatment of children who was in Chile for the training noted Ethiopian Partners Visit Toronto You Helped Us In May, TF welcomed two of our This trip allowed Hirut and Shiferaw Fund-A-Need! longtime partners in Ethiopia, Hirut to shadow and learn from some of At this year’s Beautiful Before & After Mengistu and Shiferaw Degu, to Canada’s leading cleft care experts at event, we aimed to raise funds Toronto for professional training. Hirut the Hospital for Sick Children over a to purchase a tympanometer for has worked as a social worker and two-week period. Their goals were to our partner program in Thailand. assistant speech therapist at Yekatit 12 observe patient treatment, hospital pro- This device helps to detect fluid in Hospital since 2007. Shiferaw over- tocols and techniques in their respective the ear and helps prevent against sees the hospital’s cleft lip and palate disciplines that could be taken back and hearing loss in cleft patients. orthodontics unit and has worked as an applied to their work in Ethiopia. We are excited to report that Assistant Professor in the Department According to Hirut, “the trip was we reached our $11,000 campaign of Dentistry at Addis Ababa University very important and has brought a new goal, thanks to your generous since 2004. knowledge for my future work, both support and matched donations in social work and speech therapy.” from a private foundation. We would Hirut was especially interested in the like to extend a very special thank activities SickKids uses to engage and you to Brendan and Jennifer Ashcroft support teenaged cleft patients who for championing this cause, and often face social exclusion, bullying to everyone who contributed to this and low self-esteem. campaign! Hirut and Shiferaw’s visit was planned in response to a program evaluation that took place in Ethiopia in 2014. A team of volunteer special- ists from SickKids, including a social worker, orthodontist and plastic Shiferaw (left) and Hirut (right) visited surgeon, travelled to Ethiopia and Toronto from Ethiopia in the spring for identified key areas for improvement professional training. and future collaboration. Transforming Faces Transformation Summer 2016 2 A Bright Future for Hayat When Fatuma Bashir gave birth to who have the same condition helped her only child, Hayat, she felt shocked me accept it more.” and confused. She had never heard Hayat has received lip surgery and about or seen a cleft lip before. Luckily, nutrition counseling from our team in Fatuma learned about our program at Ethiopia. In a few years, she will also Yekatit 12 Hospital in Ethiopia from a undergo a nose reconstruction surgery. friend and travelled an hour and a half Fatuma was overjoyed that her to seek treatment for Hayat. daughter was able to receive free, quality According to Fatuma, “this program care from a young age. At just over one was helpful to me because I came here year old, Hayat has her whole life ahead when she was only three days old and I of her and, thanks to you, her future is was able to receive a lot of information. looking a lot brighter. Petra, right, pictured with another Also seeing pictures of other children dedicated TF Fundraising Committee volunteer, Yeshi Eyassu. VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: Petra Lasso TF would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to one of our wonderful volunteers, Petra Lasso. Petra first got involved with the organization through her brother-in-law, Esteban (our former Executive Director), in 2012 after moving to Toronto from Europe. In 2013, she joined our Fundraising Committee to assist with planning for our major annual event, Beautiful Before & After. Petra’s eagerness to always lend a hand and warm personality have been such welcome additions to our volunteer team! New Faces and Farewells Petra notes that, “there is so much need in the world, and sometimes It was a busy spring for TF staff as we health. We also bid farewell to Anum it is difficult to chose where and how to help. To know that all TF proceeds welcomed a new Executive Director Dhalwani who was providing tempo- go directly to children in need is and said farewell to two important rary support with communications and an important fact. TF helps to make members of our team. In March, TF fundraising. Anum was an incredibly a big change in their lives.” was thrilled to welcome its new leader, enthusiastic and hard-working member In August, Petra and her family Ann Rosenfield. Ann brings 20 years of our team. of experience in fundraising and will move back to Luxembourg to operational leadership, most recently start a new chapter after four years in Canada. Reflecting on her serving as Executive Director of the experience as a TF volunteer, she WoodGreen Foundation. If you have notes that “I liked working together not had the chance to meet her yet, with the staff and other volunteers please feel free to reach out at ann@ a lot. To see the increase in the transformingfaces.org and say hello! number of kids that are helped by In June, we said farewell to our TF is very motivating and satisfying.” longtime Program Manager, Laura TF would like to extend a huge Lewis-Watts, who has been an integral thank you to Petra for all of her time, part of TF for the last decade. Laura effort and enthusiasm. Best of luck will certainly be missed by all but we with your big move! are very happy for her as she pursues a new, exciting opportunity in global Thank you for 10 amazing years, Laura! Transforming Faces Transformation Summer 2016 3 Beautiful Before & After TF CHAMPIONS: YOUR SUPPORT Thank you to everyone who came out make this event possible behind the to support our Annual Beautiful Before scenes, including our sponsor, The TRANSFORMS LIVES! & After Celebration. With your help, Abbysinnian Foundation, all silent A very special thank you to 5-year- this year’s event raised nearly $56,000 auction prize donors, Bayer Inc., our old Wylie and the Rourke family for cleft care! Fundraising Committee and many who have raised over $2,640 for We would like to extend a big wonderful volunteers. For more event cleft care. Wylie was born with Pierre thank you to the people who helped photos, visit ow.ly/9zD1301LTOE Robin sequence. She and her family wanted to support children in other parts of the world who have limited access to treatment.