Today Steve is 17 years old. We consider ourselves and him very lucky since only one major operation directly related to his malformation was necessary after the age of one. Although he did have to have a few different operations due to problems with ear infections. But, considering the number of children who undergo such operations these days we don't consider them directly related tot he fact he had a cleft palate and lip. At around three years old he had the misfortune of falling on a fence and broke the few front teeth he did have. This required a dental surgery to correct this situation.
As for his speech, Steve spoke relatively well. In fact only a few weeks of speech therapy was required at around the age of six to teach him a few exercises related tot he pronunciation. Unlike most kids he did not have the 'nasal' sound when he spoke. He participated actively in sports and other activities. In fact at age six he won a bronze medal at the provincial regional winter sports games in Artistic Skating. As parents we found it very important to consider him like every other child his age would be considered, never limiting his normal activities.
Each year Steve was followed by the team of health workers at Ste-Justine's Children's Hospital in Montreal and evaluated. At around the age ten it was decided he needed Orthodontia treatments to help enlarge his palate and to realign his teeth. Regularly he had to go visit the Orthodontist and wear braces. At around the age 14 it was decided that he needed an bone implant in the mouth to fill the holes left by his cleft on both sides of his mouth. Steve went through this operation bravely, finding the hardest part the restriction he had on walking. The bone graft had been taken from his hip and this limited his capacity to move for a few weeks. But, Steve, being a very active boy, had little time to pity himself.
At the age of 16 the multi-disciplinary team of workers suggested that Steve should have his upper jaw broken in surgery and realigned. This surgery bring his mouth back to a more normal position, and his teeth also, since he had three holes in his mouth but actually there was only one tooth missing. Steve questioned greatly the team, asking what the consequences would be and the results. Considering his age, both his father and I decided that this decision was his to make. We greatly talked with him about the advantages and the disadvantages of the operation, the short term and long term ones. After almost a year of hesitation Steve finally decided that his physical appearance did not bother him and that the risks were to great for him.
Thus, this december (1997) he finally decided that he simply wanted a plastic surgery to lessen the scars left by the surgeries and if possible to slightly correct his nose. The Orthodontist will also re-evaluate his case at the end of January to decide if he should have an implant to fill the three holes in his mouth or if a permanent or temporary dental prosthesis would be best for him.
He will graduate from St-Patrick's secondary High School in june 1998. He is perfectly bi-lingual, speaking both french and english without problems.