11/08/2026
Todayโs cleft surgery was a reminder that cleft care is not always about following the same sequence for every child.
The child was around one year old. For various reasons, cleft lip repair had not been possible earlier. Although lip repair would usually come first, at this stage our priority was the cleft palate, because timing of palate closure is important for speech development.
So, for this child, we chose:
Palate first. Lip later.
Repairing the palate while the cleft lip remained unrepaired required careful planning and adaptation. Tissue from the inside of the cheek was also used as part of the reconstruction to achieve the required palatal closure.
Even before surgery began, we faced another challenge โ securing the airway. An experienced anaesthesia team, including senior anaesthetists, worked patiently together until the airway was safely secured. Their expertise made it possible for us to proceed.
Once anaesthesia was established, the surgery progressed remarkably smoothly, helped immensely by an experienced surgical assistant and our OT and nursing team.
Today reinforced something I have learnt repeatedly over years of cleft surgery:
Good surgery is never the work of one pair of hands.
It is the result of planning, experience and an entire team working together for one child.
The right procedure.
At the right time.
For the right reason.
For that particular child.
Grateful for the team, for every opportunity to learn, and to God that everything came together today.
Above all, grateful for the trust placed in us with every child. โค๏ธ
