Plastic surgery, it's called cosmetic and is mostly considered a vain indulgence pursued by those who just can't come to terms with the natural ageing process. But what about plastic surgery that can mean the difference between a life of shame and a life well lived? And that's just the opportunity being offered to children from across Belize. We found out more about the work being done by a team of visiting surgeons from the International Children's Hospital.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
These children are waiting here at the KHMH not to see the pediatrician, but to have plastic surgery. But its not that kind of vain Hollywood surgery, it's for a far more practical procedure.
Dr. Allan Burke,International Children's Hospital
"Cleft lips and cleft palettes will be our two most common things. We are also doing some ear deformities and some scarring and whatever every other head and neck problem may come our way."
Dr. Allan Burke leads the team that did 51 surgeries and over 100 consults in two weeks in Dangriga and Belize City. In most cases, children with these problems require 6 to 8 surgeries.
Dr. Allan Burke,
"We've now been here for the past five years and we've been seeing some of the same kids for that time and its nice to see them grow up and see them grow up with acceptable looking lips and the like with good speech and good swallowing and that's our goal."
And more than correcting the problem - it's about freeing these children from stigma.
Dr. Allan Burke,
"The cleft lip and the cleft palette problems have such significance both for form and function and very often as a social stigma related to them. So goal one is to have them more normal looking and more normal functioning with regard to speech and swallowing and also the ultimate goal is that they don't feel stigmatized."
And Burke says that not only are these young patients taking on a new identity, so are the doctors.
Dr. Allan Burke,
"I think slowly people are getting to know that we are regulars and coming back and I am always impressed that people can put their faith in a stranger to come and do this and so hopefully less and less we're strangers."
The team leaves this weekend.
