Monday 18 / November / 2024
MUSCAT: An Omani girl born with a cleft palate can now finally smile, thanks to doctors in India.
Zahra Adham, from Muscat, was born with a severe cleft lip. Even the act of eating was too much for her and her family fed her liquids through a straw.
Now, after eight-months of treatment and surgeries in India, Zahra has got back her beautiful smile.
“Zahra had an isolated cleft palate. In layman terms, she had a hole in the roof of her mouth, which made it very difficult for her to eat. These cases need to be treated within 13 to 18 months otherwise they can hinder speech development,” Dr Sathish Vasistha, who heads the Cleft Clinic at the Rainbow Children’s Hospital in Andhra Pradesh, told Times of Oman.
“We started her treatment in March this year and completed it last week successfully. We were happy to see a smiling Zahra,” the medic added. The condition was due to an opening between her nose and mouth that made it almost impossible for her to eat. When fed, the food would slip out through her nose.
“Lip and palate clefting, similar to Zahra’s, is a result of a number of causes, but the biggest reason is a folic acid deficiency in pregnant women,” the medic said, adding that other reasons include genetic abnormalities. Adham Khan, Zahra’s father, told Times of Oman that he is very happy to see Zahra smiling.
“I am very happy with the treatment at the hospital. All thanks to the Bahwan family who funded and supported us,” he said, adding that in Oman, the hospital suggested cutting her tongue to fix her problem and so he decided to travel to Bangalore and show the doctors.
“Whenever she had milk it was coming out of her nose,” he said, explaining that she improved after the first surgery.
"We were only feeding her liquids for the first three months post the surgery and then, upon doctor’s consultation, we started feeding her ice cream which she was asking for,” he added.
Zahra came back to Oman on November 15.
"She is doing well now thanks to the Almighty," Adham said.
“Before the first surgery she could only say ‘mama’ and ‘baba’, you couldn’t understand anything else she said,” Aa’da AlBalushi, Zahra’s mother, said.
“In just one or two weeks after the surgery, there was a lot of improvement.
“After the last surgery, the doctors let her go with no pills or medication, it was like nothing ever happened,” Zahra’s mother added.
“Before the first surgery we were at the hospital almost every day.
“Because of the hole in her mouth, she got sick very easily. Even when she was a baby, she had more gas than usual. Even if a kid coughed in her direction, she would be sick the next day,” her mum said.
“Her first real food after the surgery was fries from KFC and she was so happy to eat actual solid food.”
