I met these ladies in elementary school and they are some amazing people who have been by my side throughout the years. No matter what is going on in life their smiles bring joy to me and so many others. A smile is a powerful thing and every smile has a story.

1 in 700 people is born with a cleft, including my youngest son, Eddie. Many babies who are cleft affected are aborted when in utero or live in isolation when born. If a cleft is left untreated it can cause difficulty breathing, eating, hearing, and speaking. We have been beyond fortunate to be able to work with Mayo in Rochester throughout the pregnancy, and with Eddie’s lip and palate repairs. They have provided us so much support from feedings to hearing screenings to orthodontic care to parent support groups.

Eddie is now 2 years old and learning to talk with the help of his incredible speech language pathologist at our local school district. Through it all, these professionals always celebrate Eddie as a person first. They are literally changing children’s lives for the better. What a gift! No matter the challenges Eddie faces, he is the first to smile and remind us of how fortunate and grateful we are.

On October 17 we will be running the Mankato Marathon Relay Race. We would like to dedicate this run to all the children who are cleft affected and their families.