Duck Dynasty’s Mia Robertson, the 10-year-old daughter of Jase and Missy Robertson, was born with a cleft lip and palate.
Missy and Jase Robertson recently launched the Mia Moo Fund, whose slogan is “Because Every Kid Deserves A Smile,” to raise awareness and help children with similar problems.
Missy Robertson revealed the story of Mia’s cleft lip and palate on the fund website:
“Jase & I learned that Mia had a cleft lip and possible cleft palate at 31 weeks gestation, thanks to a 4-D ultrasound. We were able to prepare ourselves and our boys, as best as we knew how, for a few weeks before she was born at 37 weeks gestation.
Mia Elaine Robertson was born on September 12, 2003, with a bilateral cleft lip and palate & it was through a mutual friend, we met a family in our area who had a son born with this same condition just a few months before Mia. This family lead us to the International Craniofacial Institute in Dallas, Texas, where we traveled when Mia was 17 days old. They checked her from head to toe and fitted her with a palatal appliance in order to give a “fake roof” to her mouth.
This helped tremendously in the feeding process as it aided in allowing her milk to travel down her throat instead of out her nose. We did our best to fatten her up over the next few weeks in order to get her healthy enough for her first surgery, correction of the cleft lip. At 3 months old, Mia underwent her first corrective surgery. Jase and I were prepared to physically take care of our daughter, but we were not prepared emotionally as to how different she would look after this surgery. We had fallen in love with that sweet face for 3 months and were not prepared for the swelling and stitches that we saw in the recovery room. It was a very emotional time.
Our baby looked so different, and we actually wondered if it would have been better if we had chosen not to put her through the surgery. In just a couple of days, the swelling diminished entirely, and we soon realized that this indeed was the best thing to do for our child. I try to help parents in this regard so they do not experience the same trauma that we did. Mia healed quickly, and we continued to prepare her for the next surgery. She had palate correction surgery at 7 months old. After having her palatal appliance cleaned 3-5 times a day for 7 months, Mia now had her own natural palate. She was a happy baby who loved her mama and hardly ever wanted to be away from me. This is extremely common with babies who need so much medical attention. No worries. I took her to work with me at Duck Commander, and she played on the floor and with her Mamaw Kay while we worked…”
Read full story on Mia Moo Fund website.
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