Ten year old Shakteesh Loganathan lights up at the mention of football. An ardent Liverpool football club fan, he is captain of the football team in his school. “He can go on and on about football,” said his father, a 47 year old legal officer based in Kuala Lumpur. “But when he grows up, he wants to be a policeman like his uncle.” At this, the boy flashes a shy smile – a smile marked by the shadow of a scar above his upper lip. Shakteesh, you see, was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate.
A father to two beautiful children – including a 14 year old daughter – Loganathan wanted nothing but the best for his two kids. In this story, he speaks with the Sun of the time when his family welcomed baby Shakteesh into the world.
“After the baby was born; when the nurse put him in our arms, we were in complete shock. Up until then, we had never even heard of a cleft lip or cleft palate,” said Loganathan. “A thousand and one thoughts went through our heads – we wondered where we went wrong, we wondered if the baby was going to make it, we were worried about how he was going to grow up, how he would be treated. It was definitely a very confusing and frightening time in our lives.”
Fortunately for the family, the baby was otherwise given a clean bill of health and was referred to another hospital. That was where Loganathan first learnt about Ronald McDonald Gift of Smile Programme.
OPERATION: SMILE!
Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects that occur when a baby’s lip or mouth do not form properly during pregnancy. Together, these birth defects commonly are called “orofacial clefts”. These birth defects happen early during pregnancy and a baby can have a cleft lip, a cleft palate, or both a cleft lip and cleft palate – as in Shakteesh’s case.
Clefts occur in about one in 700 newborns in Malaysia, a ratio prevalent worldwide. Although the definite causes of clefts remain unknown, most cases are believed to be linked to genetic and environmental factors including foetal exposure to cigarette smoke, alcohol, certain medications, drugs and some viruses.
“Within a week of signing up for the Ronald McDonald Gift of Smile programme, we were put in touch with a specialist who scheduled Shakteesh for the first of four corrective surgeries. In the meantime, we had to learn how to manage the baby, particularly in how to feed him,” said Loganathan. “We were also advised that cleft management stretches from birth until the child reaches adulthood. After the initial corrective surgeries, we were going to need dental care, orthodontics and speech therapy.”
“Of course, all this information gave us even more cause for concern. We wanted Shakteesh to grow up heathy and happy and we didn’t even know if we could afford all of the procedures that could help him achieve that,” said Loganathan. “We were very thankful to learn that all costs would be covered by the Ronald McDonald Gift of Smile programme – even up to the various post-surgical therapies.”
GIFT OF SMILE
Since its inception in 2004, close to RM3 million has been utilized to put a smile back on the faces of over 350 babies and children – and their families and loved ones as well. The Ronald McDonald Gift of Smile programme has also been there with the children as they were growing up – ensuring that they received the proper dental care, orthodontics services, alveolar bone grafts and even speech therapy to manage or correct their conditions.
In addition to funding transportation for families from as far as East Malaysia, the programme has also been conducted in concert with another RMHC initiative – the Ronald McDonald House. Situated in Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, low-income families are given board and lodging while the child undergoes surgery.
FOR HAPPIER DAYS
“We are very thankful to RMHC for all that they’ve done for our family. Thanks to the Ronald McDonald Gift of Smile programme, Shakteesh is just like every other child out there – happy, healthy and perfect in every way,” said Loganathan. “My wife and I have also taken an active role in putting the word out there by reaching out to other parents with cleft babies. We want people to know that clefts are not life threatening and can be corrected.”
“Treatment can begin as early as when the infant is three months old – our Shakteesh underwent his first surgery at just two months with the subsequent procedures performed when he was four months, seven months and five years old,” added Loganathan. “Of course, this means that he doesn’t really remember ever undergoing surgery – which is great! We tell the parents that come to us to reach out to RMHC or any other doctor they are familiar with, as early as possible. As long as the baby is strong enough to undergo surgery, the child can be put on the road to recovery that much sooner.”
Today, Shakteesh is on the home stretch of his journey to complete recovery; he has aced speech therapy and is slated for an alveolar bone graft as well as orthodontic treatment after that. When asked if he was nervous or scared, he simply shook his head and smiled another one of his beautiful smiles.
About Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Malaysia
RMHC Malaysia is one of 300 RMHC Chapters worldwide that aim to positively impact young lives in the areas of health, education and welfare through its four core programmes – Ronald McDonald House (RMH), Ronald McDonald Sensory Room, Ronald McDonald Gift of Smile Programme and Ronald McDonald Scholarship.
For more information on Ronald McDonald Gift of Smile Programme or to recommend a child needing assistance, download the application form at www.rmhc.org.my or contact RMHC Malaysia Hotline at 012-365 7324.
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