Famous people with cleft palates.

Definition of cleft palate:

A cleft palate is a condition in which the top lip and roof of the mouth do not close and are open at birth. A child can have either a lateral (one opening) or bilateral (double opening) cleft palate. Both can be fixed with reconstructive surgery and plastic surgery, although not all children have access to the medical technology needed for the surgeries.

There are many causes for a cleft palate, which range from genes passed down through the family, to toxins, drugs and viruses. Having a cleft palate can alter someone's appearance, cause ear infections, cause speech difficulties, and have a negative impact on feeding.

About 1 in 2500 people are born with a cleft palate and many are easily fixed within the first year of a child's life (with ongoing therapy and possible follow-up surgeries). In some cases, the child and his/her family does not have ready access to medical technology that could fix the cleft palate and sometimes the child will endure many ailments caused by the disease before the problem is fixed. If the cleft palate is not surgically fixed early in a child's life, the cleft palate becomes much more difficult to fix.

Many kids today are born with cleft palates. Check out The Cleft Cafe to visit a support group and see how some teens are gathering together to offer encouragement and understanding.