Last week we took Aliyah for her usual follow-up at HUKM. This time around, the waiting was horrendous. We arrived around 1.30 pm in the afternoon and by the time our number was called, it was almost 3.30 pm.
Whilst sitting in the waiting area, I noticed two families (obviously related since they came together with small children) arrived and took the seat across us. One of the ladies was holding a child in her arms. The child was slightly under one year old, and was obviously cleft.
Bored and tired of waiting, I took Aliyah for a walk around the waiting room. This was the moment when one of the ladies (with the cleft baby) took noticed of Aliyah and encouraged her family members (the guys) to approach me for information. Of all a sudden, the father of the baby stood up and approached my nicely.
He asked "Bila buat operation bang? Tak nampak ketara pun kesan dia!"
I answered "First operation tu buat bulan 4, tahun lepas. Second one buat bulan 11".
The introduction then began.
We began exchanging notes with each other on the surgery procedures, feeding methods and shared our experience with them. We later learned that the couple came from Mersing and have 3 daughters. The third daughter was born with cleft lip only (palate normal).
Herman, the father, works as a fisherman and tour operator (fishing trips to Tioman Island). The wife, Amelia, is a home-maker. Both are 29 years of age. Their daughter, Seira, was referred to HUKM under the Ronald McDonald's Gift of Smile Programme after HSA in Johor Bahru refused to perform the surgery for some particular reasons.
Amelia told Tai-tai that they had a tough time going through the situation back home in Mersing. Having to deal with negative perception from the neighbours was tough, but what made it worst was the attitude of the medical personnel towards them who were not understanding and supportive at all. They had very little access on information regarding cleft conditions, and had no single idea about CLAPAM and the Gift of Smile Programme.
Looking back at ourselves, I could say that Aliyah is very fortunate that her Mummy and Daddy had access to information on cleft (particularly from internet research), family support and good medical facilities.
Seira undergone her operation last Monday. Tai-tai and myself visited her at the hospital. Amelia and Herman did not expect the visit from us at all, and were very happy and delighted to see both of us. For me and Tai-tai, sharing our experiences and giving support to other families under the same circumstances are part of our adherence to The Silver Book. If we are unable to provide monetary help, at least we can give our support...
Daddy: The Silver Book was issued as a guide for Malaysian's GLCs for achieving value through social responsibilities
