Make a Child Smile - SBF raises R10,000 for Shawn through charity matches |19 July 2017

Seven-year-old Shawn Hoareau, who suffers from Perthes disease, is expected to travel to India next month for surgery to rebuild his hip socket.

The young boy had his day brightened last Saturday by meeting Seychellois and foreign female and basketballers at Victoria Gymnasium during three matches organised to raise funds to go towards his treatment.

In fact, he was the star of the day as he was photographed along with the different teams and even wore a T-shirt given to him by the Drifters team.

The Seychelles Basketball Federation (SBF) joined with the Make A Child Smile committee to organise three charity matches and money raised through the sale of tickets and donations totalling R10,000 was given to Shawn himself in the presence of Clifford Mondon, the Make a Child Smile campaign leader.

The presentation ceremony took place yesterday afternoon at Victoria Gymnasium and it was SBF chairman Terry Celeste who handed over the cheque as the other SBF members looked on.

Make a Child Smile is a campaign led by Mr Mondon to raise funds for children in need of an operation.

Speaking to Sports NATION, Kerina Hoareau said her son Shawn really enjoyed being at the Victoria Gymnasium last Saturday and was pleased to listen to the Drifters fans singing during the matches.

“Shawn proudly wore the T-Shirt given to him by the Drifters team and he told me he loves the team. He also enjoyed listening to the Drifters fans singing during the matches, especially when they sang the song entitled Sov sa zanfan demen ou ava ganny ou rekonpans,”said Ms Hoareau.

Shawn, who is in primary two at Bel Ombre, hopes to meet the basketballers again after undergoing his operation and his mother has thanked all the players and Mr Mondon for their generosity.

In Saturday’s matches, Mont Fleuri beat HotShots 72-49, Drifters defeated Baya 83-70 in overtime (65-65 after normal time) and Beau Vallon posted an 81-62 victory over Premium Cobras.

On behalf of the SBF, Mr Celeste would like to thank all players, fans and everyone who contributed to make the charity matches a success.

He added that the SBF expects to organise charity matches at least four times in the years and bank the money raised on a special account to be used whenever there is a need to.

As for Mr Mondon, he could not hide his joy that many sportsmen and women are making their contributions by taking part in charity matches to raise funds for children who are in need of medical treatment.

“I am very happy with everyone’s efforts and it is just amazing,” he said.

Going back to the Perthes disease, it is described as a condition that affects the hip in children and it is also known as Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease in honour of the three physicians who each separately described the disease back in 1910.

In this condition, the blood supply to the growth centre of the hip (the capital femoral epiphysis) is disturbed, causing the bone in this area to die. Over time, the blood supply comes back and the bone heals. This condition can lead to serious problems in the hip joint later in life. How the bone heals determines the final result.

In Perthes disease, the femoral head disintegrates from lack of blood. As this happens, the acetabulum starts to change shape too. The lateral or outside margin flattens out and can even slope upwards. Without a deep socket, the femur can slip out or dislocate.

To rebuild the acetabular shelf, the surgeon takes a pie-shaped piece of bone from the patient’s pelvis and wedge it in above the acetabulum. The extra bone hangs over the femoral head and extends the coverage. With less likelihood of dislocation, the hip motion is saved, and there’s a better chance the acetabulum and the femoral head keep their original shape.

G. G.