Our Forever Smiles with Laura Arroyo

What happens when you're expecting twins and one baby's journey suddenly looks very different from the one you imagined?

In this episode of the Our Forever Smiles Podcast, Laura sits down with mom of five Ashlie Klitzing to share the story of her twin boys, Josiah and Luka. At the 20-week anatomy scan, Ashlie learned that Luka had a bilateral cleft lip and possible cleft palate. After birth, their family discovered additional conditions, including a Tessier cleft, choanal atresia, and aplasia cutis congenita.

Ashlie opens up about the emotional moment she first saw Luka, navigating feeding challenges, attempting NAM and taping, managing multiple surgeries, and preparing for palate repair, all while raising a busy family. She also shares the painful reality of dealing with strangers' insensitive comments and the importance of giving yourself grace when treatment doesn't go exactly as planned.

Through the hard days, Ashlie's story is ultimately one of love, faith, resilience, and learning to trust the process. She reflects on watching Luka reach milestones on his own timeline, the unique bond she has developed with each of her twins, and why something as simple as watching Luka eat can feel like an extraordinary victory.

For parents facing a new cleft diagnosis or wondering how they'll make it through the surgeries, appointments, feeding challenges, and uncertainty ahead, this conversation is a reminder: you don't have to have every step figured out today.

Our Forever Smiles shares parent experiences for connection and advocacy. This episode is not intended as medical advice.

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In this episode of the Our Forever Smiles Podcast, Laura is joined by highly specialist UK speech and language therapists Hélène Somerville and Rhian Hoccom, co-authors with Lisa Farquhar of The Sound We Found, The Sound We See, and The Sound We Feel.

Drawing on decades of experience supporting children with cleft lip and palate, Hélène and Rhian share practical ways families can encourage speech sound development through connection, repetition, play, and everyday routines.

From saying "up, up, up" on the stairs to popping bubbles in the bath, playing with sounds during meals, and reading together at bedtime, this conversation shows how small moments can become meaningful opportunities for sound play. Hélène and Rhian explain multisensory input modeling, why face-to-face interaction and repetition matter, and why children don't need to be pressured to copy sounds for these interactions to be valuable.

They also discuss hearing considerations for children with cleft palate, the role of speech and language therapists in understanding speech development, and how playful interactions can provide useful information for a child's cleft team. You'll also hear the story behind their children's books, how the resources expanded into Welsh and Spanish, and their work supporting families through the UK's cleft community.

Most importantly, Hélène and Rhian remind parents that supporting speech doesn't have to mean adding another stressful task to the day. It can happen through talking, singing, reading, playing, laughing, and simply enjoying time with your child.

This episode is for parents, caregivers, and advocates looking for practical, encouraging ways to support communication while keeping connection at the center of the cleft journey.

Please note: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational resources and is not a substitute for medical or clinical advice. Families should consult their child's cleft and healthcare teams for individualized guidance.

Link:

Author's Site

The Sound we See

The Sound we Found

The Sound we Feel

What does the cleft care journey look like from a baby's first surgery through adulthood?

In this episode of the Our Forever Smiles Podcast, Laura sits down with craniofacial and plastic surgeon Dr. Christopher Runyan to discuss cleft lip and palate care across the lifespan.

They cover the timing of lip and palate repair, NAM and presurgical options, feeding after surgery, fistulas, VPI, jaw surgery, adult cleft care, and emerging technologies helping improve treatment and outcomes.

Dr. Runyan also shares his perspective as both a surgeon and a parent who experienced his own newborn needing major surgery.

Whether you're preparing for your baby's first surgery or navigating the later stages of cleft care, this conversation offers helpful insight, encouragement, and a look at what families can expect along the journey.

In this heartfelt episode of the Our Forever Smiles Podcast, Laura sits down with Christine Bodie, a mother of six from North Pole, Alaska, to share the story of her youngest son, Corey, who was born with a complete bilateral cleft lip and palate.

Christine opens up about the uncertainty of Corey's prenatal diagnosis, his NICU stay, feeding challenges, lip repair, and what it is like traveling hundreds of miles to access specialized cleft care in Anchorage. She also shares how this journey has shaped her as a mother, teaching her patience, faith, and how to find peace in the things she cannot control.

For parents facing a new cleft diagnosis, Christine offers a reassuring message: It may feel overwhelming right now, but there is so much joy waiting on the other side of the unknown.

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What does it look like to choose joy when motherhood takes you down a road you never expected?

In this episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura sits down with Shannon Hennen, a creative maker, storyteller, and mom of three. Shannon shares her journey raising her son Sam, who was born with a cleft and has faced a complex medical journey that includes heart conditions, feeding challenges, and more than a dozen surgeries.

Shannon opens up about navigating those early years while becoming a single mom, finding strength through family, faith, therapy, and community, and learning to look for the silver lining even in the hardest seasons.

Now, as Sam enters adulthood, Shannon is navigating a new chapter: stepping back, respecting his independence, and allowing him to take greater ownership of a medical journey she spent years helping manage.

Through it all, Shannon's story is filled with humor, resilience, gratitude, and a powerful reminder: we may not get to choose every part of the journey, but we can continue finding reasons for joy along the way.

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What does the cleft journey look like 21 years later?

In this episode of the Our Forever Smiles Podcast, Laura sits down with cleft mom and advocate Alyson Ferguson to reflect on raising her daughter, Madalyna from an unexpected cleft diagnosis and early feeding challenges to surgeries, bullying, advocacy, and ultimately learning to let go.

Now 21, Madalyna is beginning to take ownership of her story and make decisions about her cleft journey for herself. Alyson shares what it's like to make that transition as a parent, how their experiences led her to become a founding member of Smile Train's Cleft Community Advisory Council, and the message she wants every new cleft parent to hear: Your baby is going to be okay.

A heartfelt conversation about motherhood, advocacy, community, and trusting our children to find their own voice.

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In this heartfelt episode of the Our Forever Smiles Podcast, Laura sits down with Ebony Waldrum, wife, mother of two, cleft advocate, and author of Emmy's Beautiful Smile. Ebony shares the deeply personal journey of welcoming her daughter Emercyn, who was born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate.

Ebony opens up about receiving Emercyn's diagnosis during her 20-week ultrasound, the fear and self-blame she initially carried, and why she waited to share the diagnosis with extended family. She also discusses an important part of her experience: searching for Black and brown mothers and children in the cleft community and struggling to find families who looked like hers.

From IVF and a stressful pregnancy to Emercyn's NICU stay, feeding, taping, surgery, and recovery, Ebony shares the realities behind the milestones. She also talks candidly about her fears for Emercyn as she grows older, including questions from other children, differences in her smile, and helping her daughter develop the confidence to advocate for herself.

That need for representation ultimately inspired Ebony to write Emmy's Beautiful Smile, creating the kind of story she once searched for herself.

This conversation is about more than cleft care. It's about motherhood, representation, vulnerability, advocacy, and discovering that you don't have to navigate this journey alone.

If you're a parent processing a new cleft diagnosis or searching for someone whose experience reflects your own, Ebony's message is simple: this is not the end, and there is a community waiting for you.

Our Forever Smiles shares lived experiences from parents and advocates. Nothing discussed in this episode is intended as medical advice.

Links:

Emmy's Beautiful Smile Book

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What does it mean to truly embrace what makes you different?

In this powerful conversation, Laura sits down with Justin Stewart, model, content creator, basketball coach, and Program Officer at myFace to discuss growing up with the rare craniofacial condition frontonasal dysplasia. Justin shares his journey from navigating bullying and multiple surgeries to building confidence, finding community, and using his platform to advocate for greater representation for people with facial differences.

Together, they explore the importance of family support, the emotional impact of craniofacial care, making deeply personal decisions about surgery, and why listening to children with facial differences matters more than having all the answers. Justin also reflects on his modeling career with brands like Nike and Vogue, his work in advocacy, and how finding community transformed his life.

Whether you're a parent raising a child with a craniofacial difference, someone navigating your own medical journey, or simply looking for an inspiring conversation about resilience, identity, and belonging, this episode is a reminder that our differences are not something to hide—they're part of what makes us who we are.

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When Megan Smith learned she was expecting twins, she never imagined one of her boys would also be born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. In this heartfelt episode, Megan shares her family's journey from the shock of a prenatal diagnosis to navigating feeding challenges, surgeries, and life with three young boys—all while leaning on her faith through every season.

Megan opens up about the grief, fear, and uncertainty she experienced during pregnancy, the compassion she wishes every family received at diagnosis, and the hope she found as she watched her son, Sullivan, grow stronger with each milestone. Her story is a powerful reminder that while the cleft journey isn't easy, it is filled with resilience, purpose, and so many beautiful, ordinary moments along the way.

Whether you're a parent who has just received a diagnosis or you're further along in your cleft journey, this conversation will leave you feeling encouraged, understood, and reminded that you are never alone.

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In this heartfelt episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura sits down with Byrdie Wilson, a Nashville singer-songwriter and Operation Smile ambassador, and her mom, Pam, to share their family's cleft journey. From an unexpected cleft palate diagnosis and Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS) at birth to discovering at 24 that Byrdie may need another cleft-related surgery, this conversation highlights the lifelong impact of cleft care.

Together, they discuss navigating the NICU, finding strength through advocacy, and why ongoing follow-up is so important for both children and adults with cleft conditions. This episode is filled with hope, honesty, and encouragement for every cleft family.

If this episode resonates with you, be sure to follow the podcast and share it with someone who could use the reminder that they're never alone on this journey.

Links:

Byrdie Music

Byrdie on IG

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