Profiles

Pop diva helps children with cleft palates

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-11-21 14:52

A foundation created by Chinese pop diva Faye Wong and her film star husband Li Yapeng was launched here Tuesday to help children born with cleft palates.

Yan Ran Angel Foundation, named after Li's daughter, will help children under 14 years old.

The foundation was launched after Wong and Li's five-month-old daughter Li Yan recovered from plastic surgery for her cleft palate.

The couple donated 1 million yuan (US$125,000) to start the foundation in collaboration with the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC). Donations to the foundation will be encouraged.

According to the RCSC, guardians of children that meet the foundation's criteria can apply to the foundation for assistance.

Potential applicants can get information from the RCSC website www.chineseredcross.org.cn or from www.99et.org.

Harelips, which are often associated with cleft palates, are a common congenital malformation. China has 2.4 million children born with cleft palates, government statistics show.

According to the RSCS, the applicants can download an application from the two above-mentioned websites and submit it to the Red Cross Society at or above the county's level. Then the local Red Cross Society will send the forms of candidates to the RCSC.

Later, the appointed hospitals by the foundation will make plastic surgery plans for the qualified candidates after a thorough check-up.

Finally, the foundation will select the children and decide the amount of financial aid given to them, whose names will be publicized on the RCSC website.

The children will undergo the surgery at the hospitals appointed by the foundation.

Nearly 40,000 babies are born with cleft lips or palates each year, international research figures show.

Many children miss the prime time for the surgery which is right after birth. The operation takes only 45 minutes.

Cleft palates can be caused by hereditary and environmental factors. The plastic surgery should be done from 10 days to three months after birth, said doctor Ma Haihuan with the Sino-Japanese Friendship Hospital.

However, many families miss the best time and some poor families can not afford the expense.

In Beijing, the comparatively easier plastic surgery for cleft lips costs 6,000 yuan (US$750), and a baby with both cleft lips and palates need 20,000 to 30,000 yuan (2,500 to US$3,750).

On May 27th, Wong gave birth to a baby daughter, Li Yan. Later Beijing's local media reported Wong's baby daughter was doubted born with a cleft lip.

Wong and her husband had not responded to the media until August 12. Li Yapeng admitted his daughter was cleft lipped in his blog.

"My wife and I don't intend to cover up the truth, since it's related to a child and we have a lots of things to do or we'll miss the prime time for my daughter's treatment," he said, stressing "all we do is for the benefits of my daughter and for a good environment for her recovery."

Later Wong brought his daughter to the United States for a plastic surgery.

Earlier November, Li told the local media her daughter had recovered very well and they would establish a foundation to help more cleft-lipped children to express their thanks to all the kind people.

Wong, a Beijing native who made her name in Hong Kong, has unofficially retired in recent years. She has another daughter from her previous marriage to Chinese rocker Dou Wei.