Resourceful nurse's solution to problem

Resourceful nurse's solution to problem

My baby daughter just had cleft palate repair surgery last week, and my husband and I have had to keep her arms in splints to immobilise them, so she does not stick her fingers or objects into her mouth.

These splints are temporary, removable and keep coming off. We sought alternatives and found some paediatric wraps online, but these were not available in Singapore. So we were resigned to fixing her splints back on each time they fell off - and this happened multiple times a day.

On Tuesday, we took our daughter back to KK Women's and Children's Hospital for a review, and mentioned our dilemma to one of the nurses. To our surprise and delight, she said some paediatric wraps had just come in.

We spoke to nurse Azlin Azman from the hospital's cleft and craniofacial centre, and found out that she knew parents needed these wraps and that they were not available in Singapore.

Through research, she discovered these could be duplicated easily and made available at a much lower cost than if they had been shipped from the United States. She found a tailor in Indonesia who could make them and ordered a bunch.

What's more, she did not want to be paid for the wraps but said that if we wanted to, we could make a donation to Operation Smile, an international charity that provides reconstructive surgery for children born with facial deformities.

On top of being relieved and delighted at having these wraps stay on my daughter's arms, we were also heartened that there are such good Samaritans in Singapore who would use their creativity and resources to help others.

Thank you, nurse Azlin.

Delia Walcott (Mrs)


This article was first published on Oct 24, 2014.
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