Fox 17 News - The story of Abear - born with a cleft lip

cleft lip before repair	right after repair

In the early weeks of development, the right and left sides of the lip and the roof of the mouth normally grow together. Occasionally, however, in about one of every 800 babies, those sections don't quite meet. A child born with a separation in the upper lip is said to have a cleft lip. A similar birth defect in the roof of the mouth, or palate, is called a cleft palate. Since the lip and the palate develop separately, it is possible for a child to have a cleft lip, a cleft palate, or variations of both.

Abear now lives in Nashville, after his parents moved here from Mexico. He was born with a cleft lip and palate. You can view his story in the video clips below:

Abear - intro First encounter.	Abear - surgery Abear has surgery.

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