Beautiful Scars
I was born in 1983 with a cleft lip and palate. I, like all other children with this condition, went through many, many surgeries in my journey. What stood out to me, however, was the teasing of other...
View ArticleKicking for Clefts
They say that a bond between two brothers is unbreakable and for brothers Grayson and Jack, that holds true. Like many siblings, Grayson and Jack spent countless days of their childhood together...
View ArticleLilly’s Letter
Hi, my name is Lilly Piazza. I grew up in southwest Louisiana and I am 49 years old. My story may be a little unique, because to be honest, I’ve never met or heard of anyone else with my type ... Read...
View ArticleBaby K
I was 41 yrs old when I was pregnant with my third child, Kiele. I could still vividly remember the day that I had an ultrasound and how excited my husband and I were to have learned that we were ......
View ArticleLike Mother, Like Daughter
My name is Amber Schmotzer and I was born with cleft palate, as well as my mom. I wrote this story because my school has a class called Grad Project and I did my project on Cleft Palate. I wanted ......
View ArticleComfort Baskets for Cleft Courage
“My name is Justin Miller, and I am 12 years old. I am starting a fundraising project to help newborn babies with cleft lip and/or palate. I am inspired to do this because my sister did a similar...
View ArticleBeauty with a Twist
Hi there, my name is Rasheera and I was born with 2 very rare syndromes: GoldenHar Syndrome and VATER Syndrome. Over the course of my life I’ve had 103 surgeries. Growing up and having such a rare...
View ArticleLet Your Scar Shine
Aliah is your typical 13 year old girl who enjoys music, stories, time with her friends, participating in church life…and writing! We first were introduced to Aliah as a newborn with a bilateral cleft...
View ArticleThe Best Thing: A Poem for Logan
Here we sit in the quiet, in the middle of the night I’m cuddling, snuggling, holding you tight And I can’t help but think of the journey we’re on Of all of the bumps in a road that’s quite long ......
View ArticleACPA Scholarship Profile: Casey
2019 ACPA Scholarship Recipient Casey was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome and cleft palate. Despite the many challenges Casey has faced, including undergoing 25 surgeries throughout his lifetime,...
View ArticleGia’s Story
This is Gia. Gia was born in 2012. During my pregnancy, the doctors never saw anything wrong with Gia, but on the day she was born, we held her and quickly noticed that her upper lip was not normal. It...
View ArticleCallen’s Cleft Care
Callen Jeffrey Coffey was born on December 3, 2019. He was born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate. From the moment I saw him, I was not worried in the least about that part, knowing that the care...
View ArticleOur Miracle Son: Year Three
He’s 3! Andrew Bradley-my beautiful, smart, loving, strong willed, funny, caring, amazing, miracle son-is three years old. Over the course of these three years as his mother, he has completely taken...
View ArticleLively Leo
When I was pregnant with Leo, some routine blood work indicated that my alpha fetoprotein levels were dangerously high, which is the marker for spina bifida. We went in immediately for a consultation...
View ArticleStarring on Stage
Hi, my name is Anna and I am a senior at North Lenoir High School. I was born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate. My doctors and nurses on my cleft team were really wonderful, but it was hard ......
View ArticleLoving Lacey’s Smile
Our daughter, Lacey, was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. She had lip adhesion first, then palate, and finally her repair–just recently. Her providers are members of ACPA, Dr. Adetayo and...
View ArticlePaisleigh’s Story
Hey y’all, My name is Melissa. My daughter, Paisleigh, was born with unilateral cleft lip and palate. We went in for a 3d/4d ultrasound at 15 weeks and later at our 20-week anatomy ultrasound, they...
View ArticleBrandon Willis Jr.
My third born child and first son was born with a bilateral cleft lip. I found out about his potential cleft five months before he was born. I had a sense of hope after family members, and even local...
View ArticleZobaria Ali
My name is Zobaria Ali. I was born with cleft lip and palate at Stevens Hospital in Washington. On my third day, I was transferred to Seattle Children’s Hospital, where they have a dedicated, ACPA...
View ArticleDean’s Story
Hi, my name is Dean Olsen Rorabaugh. At 23 weeks gestation, my mom found out I was going to be born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate. At first, her and my daddy were really worried about me and...
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