SMILES

Have all the people using this web site had the operation in the first days of life?? If so, what are the advantages vs. the downside. I would like to find out. We are considering the team out of Norfolk, but don't know if earlier surgery is any better than 10-12 weeks. thanks for the imput

The parents whose stories you read on this site are in the Hampton Roads area. To the best of my knowledge we all used CHKD in Norfolk. You can read my son's story here (Theodoros). I'm not sure what specific questions you may have, but I can tell you that early repair of the cleft palate was definitely to my son's advantage. He was diagnosed with Pierre Robin Sequence & his palate was repaired at 4 days old. This allowed him to feed normally after he had a trach at 1 month of age. The parents I have spoken with are in favor of early repair. There are many reasons depending on the individual child's case.
I would be happy to speak with you on the phone or you can e-mail me at gregory.zimonopoulos@gte.net. Our phone number is listed on this site at the end of my son's story. We are also in the process of updating the stories on this site.


Good luck,


Mary Ann