Special Request for Miriam
Hello Friend,
Miriam, who recently celebrated her 18th birthday with us, has been within the government-run foster care system since she was abandoned as an infant. Miriam was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate. This birth defect results when facial structures don't close completely, leaving an opening in the upper lip and roof of the mouth.
Characteristics include:
A hole in the upper lip and between the mouth and nose cavity.
Crooked, poorly shaped or missing teeth.
Misalignment of teeth and deformities of the upper jaw.
Speech problems.
In most cases, this can be corrected through a series of surgeries. Unfortunately, Miriam was not one of those cases. She still suffers from each one of these issues. She received one surgery at an early age, but unfortunately it was not performed correctly and she was never afforded the opportunity to correct that botched surgery, nor the others required to correct her condition. Now, her teeth are severely misaligned. Some are 180 degrees reversed from their proper position, others extend backwards into her mouth. The hole in her palate was not properly closed, however one of her nasal passages was closed off and is not functioning.
We are committed to helping Miriam recover from these deformities, restore her mouth and face to its intended beautiful image, correct her nasal passage and distinctly nasally speech, and give her hope and confidence for a better future.
We’ve consulted with an orthodontist and recently travelled to Tuxtla with Miriam and consulted with an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. She will need about a year or more with braces, and then undergo a bone graft to her upper palate and related corrective surgeries. But she is unafraid and ready to go through those ordeals in the hope of having her mouth and face restored.
Current estimates indicate that this could cost in excess of $11,000.00 and perhaps more for the various surgeons, hospital costs and additional post-surgery care and medications.
On our website is a special "Medical and Dental" donation link to assist us with all of our girls’ medical expenses.
Thank you for helping Miriam and and each of our girls by making dreams come true for very special girls.
Until they all come home,
