The child was deformed but the mother was determined to keep him until the end. Months later, the mother received something that made her cry
Seeing your child born safely is the happiest and luckiest thing for parents. However, for Sara Heller, in addition to the joy of seeing her son Brody, there are hundreds of thousands of worries about her life and that of her family in the coming days.
At 24 weeks pregnant, Sara and her husband, Chris Eidam, were heartbroken when they saw abnormalities on their son’s ultrasound image.
Brody has extremely severe cleft lip and palate. If in other cases there is only a small space in the lips, in Brody the space extends from the lips to the nostrils. The doctor said there are only about 9 cases like Brody’s in the entire world.
“Did they ask us if we wanted to continue with the pregnancy?” Chris shared with Omaha News.
Without thinking at all, Sara and Chris were determined to stay with Brody, although they knew that the road ahead would be very difficult and arduous. Looking at the ultrasound image of their unborn child, Sara and Chris were determined to do something completely different. They wanted to change people’s perspective on children with cleft lips and palates.
“No matter the circumstances, it is very normal for parents to be proud of their children. We want to put pictures of Brody on Facebook and Instagram. “We want to share cleft lip and palate awareness with everyone.”
The last 2-3 months of pregnancy is when the fetus gradually perfects its face. In the United States, about 2,650 cases of children born with lip and jaw deformities are recorded each year. Experts are still trying to understand the causes of these defects. However, it is known that genetic factors influence approximately one in five affected children.
Children with cleft palates will have to undergo a series of surgeries and treatments to be able to eat and speak normally. Sara and Chris, although they could not afford Brody’s expensive surgeries at the time, were determined to change the perception of those around them, hoping to make them expand their thinking about cleft lip and palate deformities.
Like other proud moms, Sara often shares photos of Brody online. However, after that, he suffered many critical and derogatory comments about the child’s condition.
“What’s wrong with your son’s face?” wrote one comment.
Sara said she was not only shocked by everyone’s words, but she never thought or was mentally prepared to have to protect Brody from cruel comments about her son’s unusual appearance.
“I thought about spreading awareness and not creating a confrontation because that’s what I want Brody to do in the future,” he told Today. I want him to help everyone understand, to become someone who stands up to protect the youngest children, children who do not yet have their own voice.”
One day, Sara and her friends took baby Brody to dinner. As the waiter brought the plate to Sara’s table, she noticed something like a tissue under the plate. Tears flowed with great emotion when Sara discovered that it was actually a check for $1,000 with the message: “For your beautiful son!”
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That precious surprise gift helped Sara and Chris cover some of the costs of Brody’s treatment. The latest surgery has helped Brody have a healthy face. The boy recovered very well and plans to have more surgeries at 9 months and 12 months.
Just each person contributing a little kindness can make a big difference and potentially change someone’s life. Seeing Brody’s bright smile and adorable face, the result of the kindness of strangers and the hard sacrifices of his parents, should make everyone feel warm these days. the end of this cold year.
