The Wishbone Project
This is a program through St Joseph Mercy Hospital in Georgetown, Guyana offering free surgical repair of cleft lip and palate defects to economically disadvantaged children and young adults. This project was launched in October of 2004 with the preoperative evaluation of 14 children from Region #2, Guyana. The children underwent surgery at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Georgetown over the following two months. The remarkable changes seen in the children are visible from both the outside and within.
Please look through the photo album of the changes this program has been able to offer to people through-out Guyana. You can start by clicking here.
Help us out today!
If you would like to help us continue to provide this service to economically disadvantage children from all over Guyana, please make your check payable to:
St. Joseph Mercy Hospital
130-132 Parade Street, Kingston
Georgetown, Guyana
OR
Guyana Mission Fund, Mercy Center
625 Abbott Road
Buffalo, New York 14220
This is a tax deductible donation. Please indicate the donation is for the Wishbone Project
What is a cleft lip or cleft palate?
Definitions - a congenital abnormality in which there is a cleft or split in the upper lip and/or soft and/or hard palate (roof of the mouth).
Causes - A cleft lip can range in severity from a simple notch in the upper lip to a complete opening in the lip extending into the floor of the nostril. The upper gum may be involved. Clefts can occur on one or both sides, and with or without involvement of the palate. More than 70 percent of babies with cleft lip also have cleft palate.
What special problems are associated with oral-facial clefts?
There may be problems with feeding, ear disease and speech development, as well as dental problems. They may differ between children with cleft lip/palate versus those with isolated cleft palate: the problems also will differ depending upon the specific cleft and its severity.
Some babies also have problems with gagging, choking or milk coming out through the nose while feeding.
Babies with cleft palate are especially susceptible to middle ear disease. The cleft can contribute to a buildup of a fluid in the middle ear which can cause mild to moderate hearing loss.
Some children with cleft palate (isolated or as part of cleft lip/palate) may develop speech more slowly than other children. Their words may sound nasal and they may have difficulty producing some consonant sounds. However, after cleft palate repair, most children eventually catch up and develop normal speech, although some will require speech therapy or additional surgery.
Children whose cleft lip/palate extends into the upper gums (which contain the teeth) have special dental problems. Some primary and permanent teeth may be missing, abnormally shaped, or out of position.