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Charlie
Emily Charlotte, aka "Charlie", was born in Coventry, England, on February 29, 1996, with a cleft of the soft palate. Charlie had her repair done on December 18, 1996, at the age of 9 and a half months. This site was prepared with the help of her mother and father, Martin and Elizabeth, and her brother Drew, aged 7.

Emily Charlotte JoHelen, aka "Charlie", at 8 weeks old. As Charlie has a cleft of the soft palate only and such a tiny chin, we worried about Pierre Robin Syndrome. Her chin grew out very quickly, and our oldest child Drew also had a small chin - I guess they run in the family! Charlie had the repair to her soft palate on December 18, 1996. She wasn't impressed with not getting anything to eat or drink. I was allowed to hold her while they put Charlie under. Charlie didn't like that I was wearing surgical scrubs. At 9 months old she wanted me to look like Mommy, not those scary strangers.

I was allowed into recovery as soon as they brought Charlie up from the operating room. She woke as I came in- although she wasn't too happy about it. There was some blood coming out of her nose and mouth but that stopped the day after surgery. Charlie didn't eat or drink for four days after her repair - stubborn little miss. She would just wait it out until the doctors hooked up the IV again!

Charlie rebounded very quickly from her repair. This is eleven days post surgery. As you can see she is now out of her arm restraints- she really found them distressing!

In November 1997 we got a family portrait done. It has been a year since Charlie's repair. Time goes so quickly!

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