One of the most significant life-altering events is learning you’re going to have children.
It’s a very exciting time, but as with any significant change, there are some worries, fears, and anxieties that come along with it. For example, what if the pregnancy doesn’t go as planned? What if difficulties occur while laboring?
Expectant parents are compelled to consider all of these very valid questions as soon as the double lines on the pregnancy test appear.
Sara Heller was concerned that the man she had begun dating just two months prior might not want the child. She still broke the news to him, and he proved to be the “most genuine, supportive, and ‘perfect’ partner.”
She had no idea that her biggest concern was still to come.
An OBGYN advised the expectant parents that their child, who they intended to name Brody, would be born with a “common birth defect” a Bilateral Cleft Lip and Palate. This information was provided to them during their 24-week ultrasound appointment.
Babies born with cleft lips and palates cannot eat or speak or even breathe without undergoing multiple surgeries. Even after the procedure is complete, the child has to undergo therapy to learn how to speak and eat.
The couple was referred to a high-risk OBGYN, who requested additional tests to find out if the baby had any additional conditions. Sadly, the outcomes showed that a rare deletion of chromosome 9 was present.
“She [the OBGYN] explained to us that Brody may have some developmental disabilities, epilepsy, low bone mass, facial deformities BUT there was no telling which line on the spectrum of any of those he would lay on,” Sara recalled on her blog Cleft Connection.
The expecting parents knew they would be keeping the baby “without hesitation” when the doctors asked if Sara and Chris wanted to end the pregnancy.
They didn’t care that he would look different, and they were already doing research to be ready to offer him the best and proper care when he arrives. On October 7, 2016, Brody was finally born, and from that point on Sara and Chris were no longer worried about showing him off to the world and sharing his story.
The young parents stood firmly by their son like a rock when people gave him disgusted stares. Not just that, they treated this opportunity as a blessing to spread awareness about the condition their son, Brody, was born with.
Sarah also decided that they will use this opportunity to educate people and change the way people look at babies with cleft lips. And she was proud of her baby.
She told Today, “It is OK to be proud of your baby no matter the circumstances. We wanted to change what ultrasound/newborn/ first-year pictures on our Facebook/Instagram accounts looked like. We wanted to spread awareness of cleft lips and palates.”
“I decided to educate rather than create a confrontation because that is what I want Brody to do in the future. I will want him to educate, to be an advocate for younger cleft kids who don’t have their own voice yet.”
Sarah occasionally encountered kindness when she least expected it. She thought back to a time when she and a few of her girlfriends had gone out to dinner, and the server had given her a folded napkin. She assumed a note had been sent to her, but when she opened it, she was astounded. A $1,000 check with the memo line “For the beautiful baby” was present.
“Tears fell from my eyes immediately and the happiness my heart felt is indescribable,” she said.
Some of the funds were used by Sarah and Chris to pay for Brody’s medical care, which included numerous surgeries. However, this event taught the couple that the world is a good place. While some might be resentful, so many others are sympathetic and supportive.
“The generosity of a complete stranger restored our faith in humanity,” Sara said “Being Brody’s parent has taught me that people care. Strangers all over the country want to hear his story, and they want to pray for him.”
She added, “This experience has shown us just how strong the cleft community is. We’ve been contacted by people all over the country … they are praying for us and asking us to reach out if we need anything.”
Sources: Taphaps, Kidspot, Rearfront, Today