Beyond the Surgery: Tebow CURE’s Comprehensive Cleft Care
About one in 1,600 babies are born with a cleft worldwide; in the Philippines, that number is about one in 700. With these statistics, cleft has become one of the most common congenital conditions. A cleft lip and palate is a congenital disability with openings in either the upper lip or the roof of the mouth or both. Babies who have this condition suffer from difficulty eating from the mother’s breast or from the bottle. They also often have trouble breathing and speaking. Children can also suffer from societal discrimination and become outcasts due to their visible illness. Additionally, the lack of proper knowledge and hearsay of the condition makes it more difficult for patients to seek medical assistance and appropriate care.
Thankfully, a cleft is a treatable condition. If treated early, children with this condition can live full lives without knowing its long-term effects. Tebow CURE Children’s Hospital of the Philippines, in partnership with Smile Train, performs hundreds of varied cleft surgeries yearly, including cleft lip, palate, and facial cleft. The condition makes it one of the leading hospitals in cleft reconstructive surgeries. Aside from surgeries, the partnership allows patients to experience comprehensive care – offering the best care for patients at no cost.
Cleft patients experience comprehensive care starting at their first clinic visit. They are seen and assessed by highly trained and skilled doctors. They are given clinical assessment, nutritional support, and speech therapy. Patients also receive personalized treatment, improving their physical appearance and quality of life. Tebow CURE is also one of the Philippine hospitals that consistently operates cleft patients 18 and below and a limited number of adults up to 25 years old. Although it has proven difficult, adult patients who received treatment shared satisfaction with their speech after the procedures. Good speech outcomes were also found among patients regarding speech understandability, acceptability, resonance, and nasal airflow.
Weljhay’s Story
One of the many Tebow CURE patients who had the opportunity to receive comprehensive care was Weljhey, who was then less than one year old when he first came to Tebow CURE. Like most babies with clefts, Weljhey struggled to create proper breastfeeding suction. His mom, Aisa, was forced to buy a special feeding bottle specially designed to help babies with cleft eat, and on top of this, she had to buy formulated milk. Weljhey and his family had overcome the struggle of feeding, but Aisa and her husband still struggled to provide for and buy Weljhey’s milk.
Aisa and the whole family rely on her husband’s earnings as a manual laborer while Aisa takes care of the household. Sadly, because of these struggles, people would ask Aisa if she wanted to give away Weljhey. “No matter what happens, I will never give away my child. Though we may struggle because of his condition, I know that there will come a time when we will overcome the difficulties we are facing,” Aisa tells us. Thankfully, the Tebow CURE team traveled to conduct a mobile clinic in Aisa’s hometown. This opportunity provided a path to healing for little Weljhay and his sister, Wella Mae, who had the same condition as him.
When they arrived at the hospital, both siblings were given clinical assessments, nutrition counseling, free laboratory exams, and CURE kits that helped them once they were separately admitted. Weljhey received his first surgery to close the cleft in his lip months after the mobile clinic—his last surgery, to close the cleft in the roof of his mouth, was performed in November 2024. He is now fully healed!
But Tebow CURE’s care for Weljhay doesn’t end with surgery. Once this young man is old enough, he will undergo speech therapy to help him learn how to use his new lip and roof of his mouth. He will continue to receive guidance and support from Tebow CURE as he grows and develops. Comprehensive care isn’t just about performing a surgery (or two) but giving holistic and long-term support to the children we serve.
Many kids like Weljhey need more than just surgery. They need healing in all aspects of life to finally experience life transformation. We at Tebow CURE are committed to continuously seeking out and helping the most vulnerable and providing the best care they deserve at no cost. The care that not only heals the body but also heals broken dreams and spirits.
Learn more about our treatments and how we can help children in the Philippines.
