Teens and their lives

[Amy Noack (15 years old)]

Hey everyone.
I just want to tell you all that I was born with a cleft lip an dhave had almost all my surgeries. I guess what I really want to point out, is that if your child, brother, sister, etc. Is a teen and has a cleft lip that they can do anything. I play the bassoon in the high school band (colorguard for marching season), and I am one of the top singers in the school. It's hard when you are little, but eventually people see past the "weird freaky scar" and accept you. I have never had counseling or speech therapy because no one really knew as much as they do today about it. I have had gum surgeries, bone grafting, tooth and dental surgery and oral surgery galore, malrotaion of the intestine surgery and apendex removed which the doctors said was caused by being born with a cleft lip. Now, people still stare at me on my days of no makeup when my scar shows pretty bad, but I don't really care anymore because I have never really let it get to me. I just want to help people know what their child's feelings may be, so I wouldn't mind if you e-mailed me. My parents are pretty willing to talk about it as well. I have some pictures I can send on whaat i looked like when I was little and what I look like now.

[Anonymous]

Good for you Amy, you sound a very positive and nice person