Latest news with #SmileTrain
Scotsman
03-05-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
I struggled with my cleft but now I am proud of my scar and love working for the cleft charity Smile Train
Watch more of our videos on and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now Edinburgh woman Matilda Lansdown, 34, who works in hair and beauty, talks about her life with a cleft lip and palate, and her work with global children's cleft charity, Smile Train, to mark Cleft Awareness Week, May 3-10. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Growing up I underwent 15-20 serious surgeries because of my cleft, the first when I wasn't even one-year-old yet and the last at 21. I struggled to eat and speak 'normally' – which made life at school particularly challenging. I went between hospitals in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Birmingham for surgeries as some doctors and surgeons didn't know how to tackle the next stage of my care. It was a lot for a young girl. I felt like a guinea pig. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I was told when I was younger that there was no real training materials, like video and imagery, for Scottish medical students, but thankfully it's much better now. Matilda participating in Smile Train's Beauty in Every Smile campaign in 2023. | Fanny Beckman It was a weird time, because I didn't have anything to compare what I was going through to. I always knew that everything that was happening to me didn't feel normal. I'm a twin, non-identical. I love my sister dearly, but growing up it was a constant reminder of my condition. I was always thinking, 'why is this happening to me and not her?' I always felt like I wasn't 'normal', but what is normal? We have two older sisters also, and now all grown up I think my experience of cleft has helped everybody. We are empathetic and like to help people. One is a teacher and another is a nurse. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad School was tough. I had to grow a thick skin at times when people would throw paper at me or lift their lip to mimic me. I masked my resentment through alcohol, drugs, and fighting. It was an escape from having this condition, and I felt like the only thing I could control. It also meant I wasn't 'the girl with the cleft' anymore. All of this made me who I am today, stronger and confident. I now realise I was using these things to deal with having a cleft, and I was out of control – my poor parents. I found it really hard to make real friends, and that's because I didn't know anybody going through a similar medical condition or who looked like me. I didn't want to be the girl with the different face, but now I love having one. Matilda Lansdown pictured when she was a newborn with an untreated cleft. | Matilda Lansdown Getting into hairdressing and make-up was great as I found it perfect for expressing myself, connecting with other people and helping them feel better about themselves. It was another form of escapism and taking back control, without hitting the bottle. Being able to have a positive effect on people is amazing. Social media was also a great tool for me to connect with people going through this, and it still is. I have made connections with people from all over the world. However, it also exposes kids today to a more rapidly unrealistic world of body standards. So, it's double edged. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I was lucky enough to be born in the UK, where the NHS was able to give me the treatment I needed growing up. But treatment is not readily available everywhere else, and certainly not for free. That's what sparked me to start working with the world's largest cleft charity, Smile Train - which has also changed my life. If clefts are left untreated, they can lead to difficulties with eating, breathing, hearing and speaking – which can be life-threatening. Sadly, this is a reality in many low-to-middle-income countries where treatment isn't readily available. But Smile Train are working hard to change this. Instead of sending a bunch of world class doctors into countries to perform surgeries and then leave, Small Train are training and funding medical professionals in these countries, so that they are learning the skills needed to help people with cleft in their local communities. It's much more sustainable, and it means that children are getting the quality cleft repair surgery and comprehensive care that they need in order to thrive. Matilda loves working for cleft charity Smile Train. | Smile Train I have worked with the charity for 10 years now as one of their UK cleft Ambassadors, as well as sitting on their community advisory panel. They have given me a lot of opportunities to speak about my experiences growing up with cleft, which I love doing. I can be the person I needed when I was a kid with a cleft. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I went to Ethiopia a few years ago, and that was amazing. I got to visit some of Smile Train's partner hospitals and the children and families they were helping. I met kids aged two and up, and a gentleman at 70 getting treatment for the first time. I'm not done yet. I have worked in the beauty industry for more than half my life now and I have yet to be sold a lipstick by someone with a cleft. Ten per cent of people in the world have a scar on their face and need to apply make-up in a different way. There's so much room for more diversity and inclusivity in this space, and I want to be part of it. I know that I want to make people feel good about themselves. And I hope to introduce something in the next few weeks which will positively affect people with face defects. I'm sworn to secrecy just now though. Matilda and her dad Adam treking across Italy in 2018 to raise money for Smile Train. | Matilda Lansdown Click here to sign up 👇 Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I don't think I'm who I want to be yet, but I'm happy with who I am. Most of the time I like my scars because it's me. I remember when I was 18 or 19 and I was having surgery, and the surgeon said I could possibly have the scar removed with a skin graft. I was immediately excited about this possibility, but then I slept on it and said I wasn't ready to do that just yet. Thinking back now I'm glad I didn't go through with it, as I struggled adjusting to other appearance-affecting surgeries anyway. My scar is important, it's me, it's who I am. For more information about Smile Train, visit . Making a donation will help them to continue to change the world one smile at a time
The Hindu
21-04-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
JIPMER holds nurses mentorship for holistic cleft lip care
The Department of Plastic Surgery at JIPMER, through the Smile Train Cleft Project, organised a nurses mentorship programme on rendering comprehensive cleft care through feeding and nutrition. Inaugurating the initiative, Ravi Kumar Chittoria, acting Medical Superintendent and Senior Professor of Plastic Surgery, emphasised the role of nursing mentorship in enhancing early care and outcomes for children with cleft lip and palate. Pushpalata, Nursing Superintendent, JIPMER, stressed the need for regular upskilling of nursing teams to ensure high-quality cleft care. V.S. Negi, Director, JIPMER, encouraged the team to develop a mobile cleft care outreach system, utilizing a van procured from project funds to extend services such as speech therapy and parental counselling to remote areas. According to Friji M.T., Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery, JIPMER, the joint initiative with Smile Train, sought to empower local medical teams to deliver free, safe, and comprehensive cleft care to children in need. Devi Prasad Mohapatra, Project Director of the JIPMER Smile Train Cleft Project, reaffirmed the project's commitment to innovation and capacity-building. The academic sessions covered critical topics including breastfeeding strategies, nasoalveolar molding (NAM), nutrition, and post-surgical care. Demonstrations on feeding techniques, breast milk handling, anthropometric measurements, and NAM were delivered by experienced nursing and orthodontic staff. The core of the mentorship program focused on practical strategies and techniques. While Aparna K. P., Orthodontic Technician, Plastic Surgery, JIPMER, explained the concept and application of Nasoalveolar Molding (NAM), S. Vijaya Lakshmi, Nursing Officer, provided guidance on measuring and interpreting growth in children with cleft lip and palate. Rakhi George, Nursing Officer, elaborated the practical aspects of post-surgery diet and nursing care. Kanav Gupta, Senior Resident in Plastic Surgery, Rajeshwari, Project Coordinator for the JIPMER Smile Train Cleft Project, and Vijayageetha, Senior Nursing Officer also spoke. According to JIPMER, dedicated cleft clinics are operated in the Plastic Surgery OPD at the Super Specialty Block every Tuesday under S. Dinesh Kumar and every Thursday under Dr. Mohapatra.
India Today
21-04-2025
- Health
- India Today
Clefts are more than a cosmetic issue: Five myths
Cleft, a gap in the upper lip and/or the roof of the mouth (palate), is a treatable facial birth condition. But misconceptions and stigma often delay treatment. Dr Vithal Lahane, senior plastic surgeon and managing director of the Smile Train Cleft Programme at Lahane Hospital in Latur, Maharashtra, debunks some are extremely rareContrary to popular belief, cleft is one of the most common birth differences worldwide, affecting one in every 700 babies. Due to a large population, India has one of the highest cleft births globally. Clefts occur in all populations, regardless of nationality, socioeconomic status or region. However, access to treatment varies and families from lower-resource settings may struggle to access the care their children need. Organisations such as Smile Train enable cleft surgeries and comprehensive care to bridge this gap free of are only cosmetic issues Many people believe clefts are only an appearance-related concern. In reality, clefts affect essential functions, such as feeding, breathing, hearing and speaking. Babies born with clefts struggle to breastfeed or drink from a bottle, leading to malnutrition and growth delays, if not properly managed. Untreated clefts can also cause speech difficulties, frequent ear infections and dental problems. Early medical intervention is crucial for a child's long-term health and surgery is complicated and leaves large scarsThe truth is that a cleft lip surgery can take as little as 45 minutes, and a cleft palate repair is usually completed within an hour. With advances in surgical techniques, scarring is minimal and often fades over time. Most children who undergo early cleft treatment lead healthy and fulfilling lives, with little to no visible signs of with clefts cannot lead normal livesThe reality is that cleft-affected children have normal intelligence and can achieve just as much as their peers. While some may require speech therapy or dental care, these challenges are manageable with proper medical support. Many individuals born with clefts have gone on to become successful professionals, athletes and even are caused by eclipse or bad karmaOne of the most persistent myths is that clefts result from bad karma, an eclipse, or a mother's actions during pregnancy. The reality is that cleft is a medical condition, not a punishment or supernatural occurrence. Although the exact cause is not clear, most experts agree that the condition occurs due to several factors, both genetic and environmental. This includes maternal health conditions, use of alcohol and drugs (including tobacco), infections or Vitamin B (also known as folic acid) deficiency in pregnant to India Today MagazineMust Watch
