the_queen
01-11-2007, 22:12
Cleft Lip and/or Palate is one of the most common birth defect in Australia.
In Australia, it is recorded that this affects one in approximately 600 - 700 babies.
During the first 6 - 8 weeks invitro the usual fusion of the upper lip fails to occur, leaving a gap in the lip. Severity of this differs from child to child from nothing more than a slight notch in the top lip, affecting either one side (uni-lateral) or both sides (bi-lateral) of the lip, to gap/s (or cleft, hence the name) that extend into the nasal cavity. http://www.cleft-sa.sohot.com.au/CleftLip.htm
The way I explain it to people, is that the little things on your top lip, under your nostrils, is where your face fused together when you were a 6-week old embryo in your mother's womb. Vallerie's top lip and gum just didn't fuse together. That's all :) Some cleft-affected kids have just one side that doesn't fuse, some have just a cleft palate, some have just a cleft lip, and some have both cleft lip and palate. My Vallerie has a bilateril cleft lip.
We are very lucky in this country that all operations and appointments with specialists are free of charge to cleft-affected children. I have never paid one red cent (except for a $15 gap payment each visit at her Ear Nose and Throat specialist) for any surgeries or dental work. She has had 3 surgeries for her cleft, she's also had grommets put in, and will have to have another surgery soon to graft a piece of her hip bone into her top gum, to allow her top teeth to grow through as straight as possible. After they've grown through, depending on how crooked they are, she will need to have extensive orthadontic work. Thankfully, due to the lobbying of CleftPALS (the support network) Medicare has a Cleft Lip and Palate Scheme, which means all cleft-affected children receive free dental and orthadontic work until they are 22 years old.
But CleftPALS is not a government funded organisation. The Cranio-Facial Unit and CleftPALS need your donations and support, in order to continue their work in helping children and families cope with this often unexpected birth defect.
November 8 - 14 is Cleft Awareness Week, and Go Casual for Clefts is a fund-raising casual day that you can hold at your school or workplace. PM me if you want to help out, I will put you in touch with the organiser who can give you donation tins and stickers to give out to participants.
In Australia, it is recorded that this affects one in approximately 600 - 700 babies.
During the first 6 - 8 weeks invitro the usual fusion of the upper lip fails to occur, leaving a gap in the lip. Severity of this differs from child to child from nothing more than a slight notch in the top lip, affecting either one side (uni-lateral) or both sides (bi-lateral) of the lip, to gap/s (or cleft, hence the name) that extend into the nasal cavity. http://www.cleft-sa.sohot.com.au/CleftLip.htm
The way I explain it to people, is that the little things on your top lip, under your nostrils, is where your face fused together when you were a 6-week old embryo in your mother's womb. Vallerie's top lip and gum just didn't fuse together. That's all :) Some cleft-affected kids have just one side that doesn't fuse, some have just a cleft palate, some have just a cleft lip, and some have both cleft lip and palate. My Vallerie has a bilateril cleft lip.
We are very lucky in this country that all operations and appointments with specialists are free of charge to cleft-affected children. I have never paid one red cent (except for a $15 gap payment each visit at her Ear Nose and Throat specialist) for any surgeries or dental work. She has had 3 surgeries for her cleft, she's also had grommets put in, and will have to have another surgery soon to graft a piece of her hip bone into her top gum, to allow her top teeth to grow through as straight as possible. After they've grown through, depending on how crooked they are, she will need to have extensive orthadontic work. Thankfully, due to the lobbying of CleftPALS (the support network) Medicare has a Cleft Lip and Palate Scheme, which means all cleft-affected children receive free dental and orthadontic work until they are 22 years old.
But CleftPALS is not a government funded organisation. The Cranio-Facial Unit and CleftPALS need your donations and support, in order to continue their work in helping children and families cope with this often unexpected birth defect.
November 8 - 14 is Cleft Awareness Week, and Go Casual for Clefts is a fund-raising casual day that you can hold at your school or workplace. PM me if you want to help out, I will put you in touch with the organiser who can give you donation tins and stickers to give out to participants.