The technician (bless her heart), as compassionately as she could, told us she thought our baby had a cleft lip and palate. We left the doctor's office (myself, my husband Steve, and both grandmothers-to-be) very upset, but trying to be hopeful for the best. We were told to go to Riverside Hospital the next morning for a more in depth ultrasound to confirm the findings.
I remember
crying like a baby and praying my way to Riverside Hospital in Newport News.
The cleft lip and palate were confirmed with their ultrasound and it was
strongly suggested we contact Dr. Bill Magee (plastic surgeon) in Norfolk
as soon as possible. We called his office when we got home and scheduled
a consultation with him.Then we set out to read any and everything we could possibly get our hands on about birth defects relating to cleft lip and palate.
We will never forget meeting Dr. Magee the first time. He was so compassionate and caring. What a God Send he has been! He told us about Operation Smile and showed us many photographs of people around the world he has helped and continues to help.
The plan was put together that day. Dr. Magee gave us the phone number of a local mom whose little boy was born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate (what we were now expecting with our new baby). We were to contact and meet with this family.
We were to call Dr. Magee's nurse as soon as our baby arrived. They were planning to operate the day after Cory was born.
We left Dr. Magee's office feeling like there was hope for us, our baby, and his future. I must admit though, I never quit praying, "They could be wrong, please let them be wrong."
We met with the family Dr. Magee told us about within a week. They were wonderful. Their son, was about 16 months at the time. They are very optimistic and positive folks. It was very reassuring for us to see pictures (before and after his surgery), the baby, and have someone to talk with who had had a baby born with the same birth defect. We would be travelling down the same road. (We now see this family at appointments with Dr. Magee, Dr. Riggs, the Craniofacial Center at Childrens Hospital of the Kings Daughters in Norfolk, and, at church occassionally.)
Cory joined us on October 10, 1993 at 9:14 a.m. Needless to say, the ultrasounds and technicians were right. I have never felt so many emotions at once (relief, gratefulness, gratitude, and love, an enormous amount of love for our new little man) as I did the first moment I saw Cory.
We called Dr. Magee's nurse and told her we wanted a least one day with our precious boy before surgery. The surgery schedule could not take Cory his second day, and on October 13, his 3rd day of life, Dr. Magee and his team repaired Cory's cleft lip and palate.
Cory had problems sucking and breastfeeding did not work out. My milk dried up after Cory was two weeks old. He lost some weight. I remember taking him to the pediatrician's office at two weeks thinking he was doing wonderful. Dr. Mark Holman (from Hampton, Virginia) told me, "I don't care what it takes, you have got to get him to eat more." He said he should be gaining more weight. Dr. Holman kept a close eye on Cory. I remember him telling me he would not be at the hospital when we had Cory but would check in the next morning. To this day, I don't know who called him, but Dr. Holman was in the delivery room with us about 45 minutes waiting for Cory's arrival. This meant the world to Steve and I.
Dr. Magee, his staff, and Karen Via (Craniofacial Coordinator for C.H.K.D.) were adamant they would help us find the special feeding bottles and accessories Cory needed to eat, gain weight and grow like a newborn should. Any they did just that. Soon thereafter, we could not keep our little man full. He always had a bottle in his mouth. I remember thinking when Cory was two months old, "My baby needs something more substantial, like cereal." The formula was just not cutting it.
Cory has had five surgeries, the last being April 12, to close a fistula in his palate. It had been widened by much needed orthodontics we started when Cory was 4 years old. Dr. Gary Riggs (orthodontist) and his staff in Hampton, Virginia have been awesome with our son and us.
Cory is now almost seven years old and we have many years of orthodontics, and yes, probably more surgeries ahead. We are sure with Dr. Magee and Dr. Riggs, their teams, Childrens Hospital of the Kings Daughters in Norfolk, and God's and our families' love, guidance, and support, Cory has the brightest of futures ahead of him.