Birth Defects and Down Syndrome: Family Stories
Josh (center) and Alissa (right) with their big sister Emily.
Our experience with cleft lip and palate has expanded over the years through the experiences of 2 of our 3 Chinese-born, adopted children: Emily, Alissa, and Joshua. Alissa, 11, was adopted at 18 months. She had a minor cleft palate that was easily repaired in the United States with the help of a cleft lip and palate team. She has experienced no issues since her repair. Joshua, 6, on the other hand, was adopted at age 2, and he has had multiple surgeries with the expectation of many more throughout his childhood. His first 2 surgeries to repair his lip and palate were completed in China. Since coming to the United States, Josh has had 2 more surgeries to repair his birth defect. He receives specialized care through a cleft lip and palate team. We travel over 2 hours each way to ensure that he has the best care possible. Because kids with clefts need a variety of special services, cleft teams help provide this specialized care in a coordinated manner. Even though we know there are multiple surgeries in his future, we are so pleased with the efforts of specialists and national associations in this country to provide exceptional care for children like Alissa and Josh so that they can have the best possible future.
Learn more about birth defects:
Disclaimer: Linking to a non-federal site does not constitute an
endorsement by CDC, HHS, or any of its employees of the sponsors or
the information and products presented on the site.
www.cdc.gov/birthdefects
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/Spanish/birthdefects/
www.nbpdn.org
www.marchofdimes.com
www.nacersano.org/
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