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Review content:
As a mother, it's like, what did I do wrong? Did I not take enough prenatal vitamins? Did I drink too much milk?
My daughter Caly was born with a cleft palate. She had a hole in her face.
My husband and I, fearful of not knowing what to do, who to turn to, or trust, asked the pediatrician we had at the time. ?If this was your daughter and this was her face, whom would you turn to??
He got us the name of Dr. Jay Pensler, Children's Memorial, Chicago, Illinois. That one decision is the decision that has affected Caly?s life and will forever affect her in the greatest of ways.
We went to Dr. Pensler, scared. Caly was having problem breathing. She couldn't sleep, her tongue was hanging out and Dr. Pensler explained to us the implications of her cleft palate and scope of her birth defect.
If you've never had a cleft palate child, you don't know. It entails many, many things. It's a lot more than cosmetic surgery; it's reconstructive surgery inside of her face.
Now, when Caly sees other kids who have had cleft palates, she says, ?Mom, that could have been me. Thank you. Thank you to Dr. Pensler.? Today, she is a beautiful, beautiful 15-year-old girl.
Now, when my daughter looks in the mirror, she does not see a birth defect. She does not see a hole in her face. She does not see someone who was born with this horrible thing. She likes what she sees. She likes who she is. And it's because we went to the best surgeon who took us under his wing and did something immediately when other doctors said, wait, wait, wait.
Dr. Pensler corrected Caly?s face in such a way that you really have to look for the scar. He is a perfectionist. To know Dr. Pensler is to know that he is a perfectionist.
He told us, ?Don't worry, I will treat her like she's my own.? And he has never strayed from that commitment to this day. He talks to Caly on a very personal level. He talks to her about school. He talks to her about her life. He's interested in what she's doing, what she thinks. She loves going to see him.
The decision to go with Dr. Pensler has affected my daughter?s life, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. She was never called names, she was never made fun out of, and no one treated her any differently.
With each surgery, she's looked better, and she's felt better. Don't get me wrong, she looked bad. I mean, she came out of the surgeries, she looked bad. But eventually when the swelling came down, she looked beautiful. Caly?s lips are full and beautiful. That?s what you see because Dr. Pensler hid the scar line where the two peaks are above your lip are. You don't know there?s a scar.
If you are fearful about giving your child to a doctor because you don?t know what can be done, look at my beautiful daughter today. She's blossoming into a young woman, The last thing that's on her mind is the scar on her face. She doesn't even see it. It is something that, it's not there.
There are no words in the English language to express my gratitude for what Dr. Pensler has done. Dr. Pensler has give Caly opportunities for a life that she would not have had with any other doctor, I can honestly say, I could not have found her a better doctor. No way. I know I found the best.
MiC
St. Johns, Indiana
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