7 Year old Nickey was born in Bloemfontein. Her teacher at school asked if anyone could help with her speech as no-one could understand her. She received a post pharyngeal flap during Universitas Academic Hospital Smile Week. Her surgery went very well and her speech had already improved straight after the surgery.
A pharyngeal flap is a surgical procedure to correct or enhance the quality of a child’s speech. Muscle tissue is transferred from the back of the throat or pharynx to the palate in order to narrow the nasal opening. This enables a child to have a more normal sounding voice and increase his/her communication skills.