Overcoming something I knew nothing about growing up. I knew I was different somehow by the response of others after I spoke. To me, I...

How many surgeries are needed to correct a Cleft? Can a Cleft cause other health problems? What is a craniofacial team? Where can I find emo

What is a Cleft Lip? What is a Cleft Palate? What causes a Cleft? How early in pregnancy can I find out that my child has a Cleft?

Bullying is probably the hardest thing to deal with besides the surgeries about having a Cleft lip and palate. And that is a debatable...

A Cleft Lip and Palate occurs in one out of every 700 births. However, one theme that unites people with Clefts is that the condition can...

There are also so many things I would’ve liked to tell my younger self. I would’ve wanted my younger self to know that all of the kids...

For 14 of my surgeries, wanting to be strong for myself and my family, I held my own and kept a lot to myself, emotionally. But during my...

There are so many Cleft-related experiences that everyone can relate to. I could talk about them forever. Most of them deal with the...

Being in the hospital repeatedly really opened my eyes to what everyone else was going through and suffering through. When I walked...

Nearly 20 years ago, Allen and I were pregnant with our first son. At our 4-month ultrasound, we learned our baby had a bilateral cleft...

It’s amazing how much you are introduced to through the process of having a Cleft lip and palate. Honestly, surgery isn’t a very scary...

It is amazing what one person can do in your life. Sometimes it just takes one person to change your life, change your perspective on...

That leads me to my next surgery: Rhinoplasty. A Rhinoplasty is a plastic surgery done on the soft tissue of the nose. In my case, it...

My next surgery was probably the biggest and most important of all, the jaw surgery, otherwise known as the Orthognathic Surgery. People...

I have had 15 plus surgeries relating to my Cleft lip and palate. Each and every one of them were to try and correct something or add...

At first, being born with a cleft lip and palate can feel like a curse. Growing up, I faced bullies and enormous self-esteem issues. I...