To the lady in the waiting room yesterday who was complaining about how inconvenient it was for her to wait on her child in the back of the orthodontist office who hadn’t been seen yet (45 minutes behind), I apologize on behalf of my daughter. It was totally her fault. See, she and her surgeon came to the conclusion a few minutes prior that she is to have another jaw distraction surgery before moving forward in her cleft care. What seemed like would be a minor surgery (scheduled today) turned into a more serious set-back in her cleft lip/palate journey. Oh how I wish we wouldn’t have inconvenienced you. Oh how I wish sometimes that she would have the team that simply looked and said “she’ll be fine”, or “you don’t really have to.” Sometimes I’m weary of this cleft journey. Sometimes I’m weary of the pain that life brings me and my family. But that’s where God steps in. He confirms through those He’s sent to us that, even though we’re weary, He is not! Cleft lip/palate is a journey. This journey looks completely different for each child. For 18 years Jase and I made decisions according to the professional team’s recommendations. Most often than not, we agreed with them. This is why we chose a team 4 1/2 hours away. Not because it was the easiest on our family (quite the contrary), but because we felt it was the best decision for our child. Yesterday, I watched my child (a 19-year-old grown woman) discuss with her surgeon the best option for her long-term health benefit. I was only a source of opinion and, hopefully, wise counsel. Mia concluded that she agreed with her surgeon (the incredible Dr Law) to take the hard road for the greatest possible outcome. She could have chosen the easy road of “good enough” or “it’ll be fine” and suffered physical restriction and jaw pain likely for the rest of her life. I’m so proud of my girl for making the tough choice of hard pain and physical suffering for the better outcome. So, instead of surgery, we spent our time having x-rays and scans performed for more custom plates and splints for another difficult procedure in a few weeks. This difficult decision put other patients’ appointments a few minutes behind. Please accept our sincerest apologies.
What an amazing God we serve! Mia’s surgeons, therapists, orthodontist team, nurses and scheduling techs are unbelievably caring. Most have been there her entire life! After her long-time surgeon’s, Dr David Genecov, unexpected passing a few months ago, Mia has been dreading this visit. But her new surgeon has been much more than we could ever ask for or imagine. God has been so good to Mia all of her life! Thank you all for praying and letting this mama share with you what is on our hearts. We will keep you posted!
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