Interplast volunteer Frank meets with Sereana and her mum following her recent surgery.
Sereana’s recent cleft lip repair was the second surgery performed by Frank and Semesa, and the third operation during her short life. The cleft had affected Sereana’s speech. Unless treated her condition would have long-term impact.
Alongside Fijian medical staff, the Interplast team determined that Sereana would benefit from
follow-up speech therapy to give her the best possible outcome. Had Sereana been living in Australia this follow-up care would be easily arranged, however Fiji does not have a specialist speech therapy service. Instead, local physiotherapists trained by Interplast speech pathologists have taken on this important role.
Thankfully, Sereana will benefit from the care of Fijian physiotherapist Quresha Ali who will provide support to assist in her speech development. Like Semesa, who has benefited from mentoring by Interplast volunteers, Quresha has developed an interest in speech therapy through the teaching and mentoring of Interplast’s allied health volunteers, including Melissa Parkin.
For Sereana, the journey to recovery will be long and challenging, however as Interplast has shown in its more than 35 years of operation, we will work alongside our partners for as long as needed. Sereana is on track to make strong recovery from surgery and continues to improve with post-operative support.
Sereana’s care was only made possible by the generosity of Interplast supporters.
Together, we can repair bodies and rebuild lives. Importantly, your donation will help us change futures