Magic Fingers Reach Out to Children
We are at ONEP, Prof. Dr. Onur Erol’s clinic in Levent. Dr. Erol, considered a doyen of aesthetics in Turkey, has pioneered dozens of new methods. Not content with merely beautifying people, he dedicates his skills, energy, and intellect to helping children born with congenital (birth) anomalies.
Today marks the council meeting of the Foundation for Assisting Patients with Plastic Surgery Disabilities and Developing Plastic Surgery, established by Onur Erol. Thanks to this foundation, babies born with physical defects undergo surgery, gaining the chance to lead problem-free lives.
We take our places in the meeting room. The doctors participating in the council and offering opinions on patients gradually arrive. The council includes a pediatrician, speech therapist, psychologist, genetic specialist, ENT specialist, and orthodontist. Patients begin to gather outside. The first case is an 11-year-old girl who was born with a cleft lip and palate and has been under observation since her surgery at Onep. Images of the child as a baby are projected onto the board in the meeting room. The baby, born with a cleft lip and palate and a deformed nose, has transformed into a healthy child thanks to the surgeries she underwent. A slight curvature in her nose does not escape the doctors’ attention. Onur Erol, with a voice recorder in hand, continuously records his observations about the patient. The other doctors on the council, who have known the child since infancy, also examine her. At the end of the examination, it is decided that the child will undergo another surgery during the semester break.
The second patient is not even one year old yet. The young parents are brought in. Their adorable baby has a cleft lip. The couple’s monthly income, which barely reaches a thousand liras, is insufficient to cover their child’s surgery, so they have turned to Onep.
Onur Erol begins to explain, saying, “I wanted you to see what these children and their families go through. It’s hard to understand without seeing the children.” He continues, “Imagine a family expecting a baby. Then the baby is born, and half of its mouth is missing. The family is in great shock and panic. They start blaming each other, ‘It’s your fault,’ ‘No, it’s yours’… A great tragedy unfolds, and we witness it. During my Plastic Surgery residency at Hacettepe, I encountered such situations frequently. I saw how much distress and unhappiness families experienced, leading to family dramas.”
FOUNDATION ESTABLISHED
After Onur Erol moved from Ankara to Istanbul, a council comprising a Plastic Surgeon, Orthodontist, Psychologist, Speech Therapist, and Pediatric Specialist was established to help these patients. The reason is that these deformities can be treated with teamwork, ensuring patients don’t have to run from one place to another. Patients who come to the council are examined. Treatment fees are kept low. Discounts are given if necessary, and sometimes no fee is charged at all… But it doesn’t end there; hospital expenses arise. Other patients undergoing surgery see this and try to help, covering the costs. Onur Erol finds it uncomfortable when a patient coming for their own surgery also feels pressured to help another patient in need. Disapproving of any pressure on patients to provide assistance, Onur Erol sees the solution in a foundation, and steps are taken.
Do Not Look at Them with Fear
Cleft lip and palate cannot be attributed to a single cause. Let’s hear from Onur Erol: “We call this a multifactorial cause. Genetic factors play a significant role in the condition, but there are many other factors. Consanguineous marriages, a family history of cleft lip and palate, medications used… all contribute. We advise families against consanguineous marriages. If a couple has a child born with a cleft lip and palate, a genetic study must be conducted before having a second child. If our foundation can grow, we want to work towards preventing these conditions before they even occur.” Obsessions like ‘Our child was born with a cleft lip. Oh no! We’re ruined!’ are wrong. These children do not have intellectual impairments. Do not look at them with fear! We’ve had patients here where a child was born, and the husband left his wife… Onur Erol states that children born this way should be operated on in infancy. Erol emphasizes that there is a misconception in society that one should wait until 17-18 years of age. He says, “The earlier the surgery, the better.”
I Don’t Want to Die with This Nose.
In his many years of professional life, Onur Erol has also turned away patients; a family comes and sits in front of me with their daughter. I look at her for a nose surgery, the mother speaks, I ask the girl, “My dear, do you want this?” She says, “My mom and dad want it.” I absolutely do not accept. I have met people at 60-65 years old who said… “First my mom and dad stopped me, then my friend stopped me, then my husband, then my children… Now I’m 65, doctor, and I don’t want to die with this nose.” I heard this from so many patients and was surprised. It means one must respect that person. If they want it and it’s reasonable, it must be done.
Beauty is a Happy Gaze
We ask Onur Erol, who ranks Turkish women among the three most beautiful races, about this statement: “In my opinion, beauty is harmony, facial harmony. Beauty is a happy gaze. An unhappy gaze makes even the most beautiful woman in the world ugly. Yes, Turkish women are very beautiful. Look at Anatolia, how many cultures there are. How mixed we are. The more races and cultures mix, the better and more pleasant the genetics. Such a pleasant mix has occurred here… Good nutrition is also very important. Aziz Nesin once said, ‘60% of Turks are stupid.’ Despite loving him very much, I disagree. He probably said it for another reason. The people of Anatolia have an amazing genetic nobility. Tolerance, hospitality… But these exist in an uncorrupted group. Well-educated and well-nourished people are beautiful. Turks have large almond eyes; Swedes don’t have those eyes. Many of them have small eyes. But our people envy those with blue eyes. They don’t have the facial contours we do. Look at the young generation today, how beautiful they are. I look at young girls, they are tall, slender, and extremely charming.
