Today we had 16 patients scheduled for their cleft repair and we did all 16 cases. Eight cleft lip repairs and 8 cleft palate repairs.

We  finished this last case at 6:15. Then the patient has to awaken and go to recovery. It takes about an hour to recover a patient. It is a long day! But it is all worth it.

When you look at this child it can be hard to imagine how we have changed his life……Until you meet an adult who has lived with the condition their entire life. We all know fitting in as a teenager can be hard. We saw many patients with a recurring theme.

 

They stopped attending school because they were teased. They live with their parents. They did not have jobs. How will they support themselves?