Photo : Sebastianus Upjandit (in yellow t-shirt) with his parents, the medical team from Asiki Clinic, and Tunas Sawa Erma (TSE Group) representatives after his cleft lip surgery
BOVEN DIGOEL – From afar, a 14-year-old boy stood on a small, plain jetty, eyes shining with hope and glee as he welcomed the Tunas Sawa Erma (TSE) Group team to his hometown in Aiwat (Sub)village, Subur District, Boven Digoel Regency. The group of people had taken a one-hour speedboat ride through the Digoel River and planned to bring the teen to Asiki for medical treatment.
Sebastianus Upjandit had always looked different from his peers, due to his cleft lip. The deformity often made it difficult to swallow and communicate, eventually bringing down his confidence.
Despite their love for the boy, there was a moment in Sebastianus’s toddler days when his parents considered stopping giving their attention and care. Amid a tough financial situation and lack of resources, the couple felt powerless to do anything about his condition, which had been present since birth.
“At one point, we gave up. We felt it would be impossible to get him treated, knowing our finances. But then a pastor came to us and said we should continue raising this child. He believed that one day, someone would come and help us,” Sebastianus’s father, Yakobus Upjandit, said.
Sebastianus during post-surgery care
This sliver of hope finally presented itself after an unimaginable encounter with TSE Group representative Park Jibae. Park met the teen for the first time during one of the company’s Social Education programs at SMP Negeri 1 Terek Subur (Terek Subur 1 Public Junior High), where Sebastianus is studying. Like so, the Upjandits experienced what the older generations believed, “miracles are real”.
Just a day after this encounter, Park gathered his team and put up a plan to help with the boy’s treatment. It was decided that TSE Group would fully cover Sebastianus’s accommodations throughout the process and that surgical fees would be paid using his Indonesia Health Card (Kartu Indonesia Sehat) — which ensures the disadvantaged get the health services they need.
Their first step was to take the teen to the company’s “Asiki Clinic” for a checkup. Further treatments took place at a much bigger facility, or the Merauke Navy Hospital.
Sebastianus was then subjected to another few rounds of screening before finally undergoing surgery, which lasted three hours. However, the process went well. From the operating room, he was wheeled straight into the ward to heal. Five days after the operation, the surgeon in charge suggested the boy go home and remove his stitches at the Asiki Clinic.
“After checking on the stitches, we can say his wounds have healed nicely. But for better recovery, we recommended the patient consume snakehead murrels regularly, as they have high protein content. Stitches must also be kept clean. Of course, we would keep monitoring the progress,” stated Asiki Clinic manager dr. Firman Jayawidjaja in a post-check up interview.
Subur is a tiny subvillage that lies along the Digoel River in the Papuan hinterlands. Sebastianus’s return with his dad was joyously celebrated by family and friends, and the atmosphere grew merrier after everyone saw the results of the surgery.
“We [TSE Group] have a commitment to build the social environment of native communities, and one way we do this is by launching health programs to create a healthier society. Facilitating Subur native Sebastianus Upjandit’s cleft lip surgery is how we show this effort, which was also helped by BPJS Kesehatan (state health insurance). Going forward, we will provide all the things needed by the patient throughout his healing process,” TSE Group’s deputy general manager Daniel Sim Ayomi said.
Thanks to the help of TSE Group and support of his loved ones, Sebastianus can now smile with better confidence. (PR)
