Dr. Oti Aria: From Stigma to Hope

Babies with clefts in Nigeria have a lot working against them. The country’s critically low surgeon-to-patent ratio forces people to live with serious conditions that can be treated but likely never will be, causing tens of thousands to suffer needlessly.

Stigma makes it worse. Mothers often break down in tears when they have a baby with a cleft in fear for their child’s future.

They are harassed, blamed, and embarrassed in their communities for the way their baby looks any time they dare leave the house. Home offers no refuge, as sometimes, their husbands and relatives join in or even abandon them, leaving these vulnerable mothers all alone to care for a child who struggles to eat and breathe.

Smile Train partner surgeon Dr. Oti Nimi Aria has made it her life’s work to be the help these mothers and babies need. At outreach events at Port Harcourt University Teaching Hospital, she reassures them that everything is going to be okay now. They will receive all the surgery and other comprehensive care they need completely free, thanks to Smile Train.

Though she hasn’t struggled with anything like a cleft herself, Dr. Oti knows what it’s like to be discounted, overlooked, stigmatized. As a little girl, she dreamed of becoming a surgeon, of her hands bringing healing to all in need. She stuck to her ambitions even when she had to work twice as hard as her peers, who did not need to juggle the demands of medical school with those of raising young kids. Even when she gave birth in the middle of exam season. 

“Those periods were very testing,” she said. “But I look back and I have no regrets. It's really rewarding.”

Dr. Oti was able to pursue her dreams of helping children with clefts pursue theirs because, just like she is always there for her patients, Smile Train has always been there for her, with free trainings and fellowships to help her sharpen her skills and work more effectively with the rest of the cleft team.

It’s still not easy to have a cleft in Nigeria. But, together with Dr. Oti, we’re committed to ending the stigma and helping those who are too often counted out get a fair chance to live their dreams — on both sides of the operating table. 
 

“If you have a goal and a passion, your gender shouldn't be a barrier in any way,” she said.  “I say to every female: If you want to be a pilot, if you want to be an aeronautic engineer, whatever it is you want to be, your gender shouldn't be a barrier. And not just to females, to males as well."