Have You Met Juniper?
Tristan Bond recalls a glow in the room on the August morning after his daughter, Juniper, was born to him and his wife Jette. “She was a perfect baby,” he says, remembering how he gazed at Jette and Juniper lit by the light of the sun and felt as though
Have You Met Allan?
Allan was the first patient at the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic in 1938. According to his daughter, Dr. Cooper was looking for patients who could benefit from speech therapy and Allan’s father signed him up. At the time, his speech was not understood by others and they assumed his was
Have You Met Daniel and Anna?
Daniel and Anna Hoppes grew up like twins at only five months apart in age, both adopted from China by Bruce and Lori Hoppes as young children, and haring similar diagnoses – cleft lips and palates. The Hoppes brought Anna home when she was 18 months old and at the
Have You Met Elena?
“Miracle Baby.” That has been Elena’s nickname for 19 years, since her mother Laura was pregnant with her. A pregnancy rife with early complications resulted in weekly ultrasounds to monitor Elena’s growth and development and it was during one of those scans that Laura and Elena’s father were informed that
Doctor Mohammad Mazaheri
On May 30, Doctor Mohammad Mazaheri (Dr. Mo) passed away, but his influence on the Clinic endures. Dr. Mo joined the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic in 1952 as a resident in maxillofacial prosthetics and stayed until his retirement over 50 years later. He worked tirelessly to provide the very best
Have You Met Tony?
Tony was born in Honduras with craniofacial and lower limb differences. At nine months old, Cathy was able to bring him to the United States to receive care for his differences. Cathy works with a program that brings children to the States for care. Tony originally stayed with a family
Have You Met Myla and Hayden?
This story was originally published in the Spring Newsletter 2025 Smile Connection Grateful For Two Smiles to Treasure Kaitlyn Bain vividly recalls the day her unborn child received a surprising diagnosis. She visited May-Grant Obstetrics & Gynecology for her 20-week anatomy scan, anticipating discovering her baby’s gender, only to grow
Have You Met AvaLyn?
Embracing Her Smiles: A dad’s hope for his daughter’s future First-time father Nathan Black had no idea what parenting a baby would be like. His daughter, AvaLyn, was due to arrive in April of 2022, and all of the usual anticipation and excitement of the journey to parenthood was in
Have You Met Sandy?
Sandy was born with a cleft palate that was undiagnosed for many years. When her daughter, Kim, was born with a rare genetic difference, also undiagnosed for many years, Sandy decided it would be her life’s work to advocate for her daughter and support other parents to do the same.
Have You Met Lander?
Lander was like most kids; curious, friendly, and caring. At seven years old, his pediatric dentist shared he had a “severe overjet.” His front teeth jetted out far enough that they would always be exposed. Mom and Dad knew something was different, but a diagnosis changes everything. With top teeth