The SpecialMoms Parenting Magazine 3rd Issue | Page 25

Advocate’s Corner
his life would be hard and devoid of joy, but
he is an exception.
Christian was born with one of the largest
and most severe forms of cleft lip and palate doctors had ever seen. It was so severe,
in fact, that it affected not only his mouth
and lips, but also his face and eyes. Christian
is three years old, just recently completed
his sixth surgery, and is completely blind.
We have known our fair share of struggles; I
won’t argue that, but boy have we ever experienced more than our fair share of triumphs.
Some doctors told us that Christian’s palate was too wide, that it would never be
completely closed. In May of this year, we

watched a wonderful doctor completely
close Christian’s palate, giving him the ability to eat orally and speak more clearly. Some
doctors told us that Christian probably
wouldn’t walk until he was 4, and his physical
abilities would be dramatically delayed. Last
week, Christian graduated from physical
therapy because his physical development
has surpassed what anyone expected and he
is ready to move on to more advanced skills.
Doctors told us that Christian would probably be developmentally delayed with a possible mental disability because of his birth
defect. He is currently taking piano lessons
and can already play some simple melodies
like “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” Chris-

Click to see Christian and his mom playing a duet.
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