copyright © 1998 Wide Smiles, Inc. This Document is from WideSmiles Website - http://www.widesmiles.org/ Reprint in whole or in part, without written permission from Wide Smiles, is prohibited. Email: WideSmiles@aol.com
Tom's Story
Hello,
What a wonderful web site I have discovered in "Journey's End". To think that I've been on line two years and just now found it. I'm older than most of you, but maybe younger than some. I was born 8-13-48 (that's right! 50's getting close!!). I was born with a double cleft lip and cleft palate. A marvelous doctor was the plastic surgeon my parents discovered and he performed his first operation on my when I was 10 days old. My plastic surgeon was still in business 15 years later when I had performed a refinement procedure that brought my lip-line down some from just below my nose.
My story may be unique, certainly not in that I went through all of the speech therapy and teasing and non-dating that all of you did, but that I was able to overcome it and what I'm doing now. I had a chronic speech impediment due to the clefts. Today, at age 49 3/4, I am completing my 15th year as a professional broadcaster. From speech therapy as a child, to speaking for a living. I am so blessed and I want deparately to show the parents out there what can happen from the "bad hand" they've been dealt.
I am the sports director of three radio stations in Bryan College Station, Texas and I broadcast 12 sportscasts per day and I do play-by-play for Texas A&M baseball, women's basketball and high school football.
I am happily married to my second wife. When my first wife and I decided to start a family in 1977, we went through genetic counseling to determine what the chances were that we would have a child with a cleft. After many tests and interviews, we were told the chances were about 1 in 20. That was good enough odds for us and we have two fine boys, now ages 21 and 17.
My name is Tom and if anyone wants too see my picture, my radio station's web site is http://www.wtaw.com/, look for Tom's name and click on for my photo. Anyone who has audionet can click the appropriate plave and listen to my sportscasts at about 6:45 am and 7:45 a, (CDT) every Mon-Fri morning.
My e-mail address is turby@tca.net
God Bless,
Tom