Tristan Bond recalls a glow in the room on the August morning after his daughter, Juniper, was born to him and his wife Jette.
“She was a perfect baby,” he says, remembering how he gazed at Jette and Juniper lit by the light of the sun and felt as though all his life had led him to that divine moment.
Every stage of Juniper’s life has been uniquely sweet, despite the fact that Tristan and Jette received a surprising diagnosis while Jette was pregnant. Doctors were suspicious that, based on ultrasound photos, Juniper had a cleft lip and palate. “When you hear something like that from your doctors, you think the worst,” Tristan says. “But we did research and talked to our friends and family members and we found out about people who had had clefts too that we didn’t even know about. That gave us hope.”
A few months later, Juniper entered the world, proving doctors’ predictions correct. Tristan and Jette were in contact with Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic right away and learned to feed her.
Dr. Thomas Samson performed Juniper’s first surgery – her lip repair – before she was even a year old and Tristan recalls a seamless recovery. “Dr. Samson is phenomenal,” Tristan shares. Juniper was 16 months old when she underwent another surgery – her palate repair. That recovery was also quick and her healing perfect. “No one has ever asked about her face since she was a baby,” Tristan says.
And Juniper’s cleft has never dampened her confidence or dimmed her brightness. She’s passionate about music, painting, karate and has been taking boxing classes for a year and a half. “When I hit the mitts really, really hard, I feel strong and I just can’t stop!” Juniper says.
“Juniper is such a happy, smart and nurturing little girl. She is so creative and is always willing to help whoever and whatever she can,” says Jette.
Juniper has been a patient at the Clinic for five years and will continue to see specialists, as her next procedure will be her bone graft surgery and in years to come, she will have braces. “Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic has been an amazing place to guide us as a family through her journey,” Jette says.
“The team is amazing,” Tristan shares. “The staff is professional but personal. They’re welcoming and warm. You grow to trust them with your very heart – your child.”
One of the things Tristan and Jette appreciate the most is communication from the Clinic. “You don’t want to be confused,” Tristan says. “They communicate so clearly. It provides reassurance and a sense of safety. It empowers you, especially as a first-time parent.”
The Clinic’s care has empowered Juniper too. “Now my dream for her is that she will fulfill her dreams,” Tristan says.
“We’re forever thankful for having LCPC,” Jette reflects.
“It wasn’t an ideal situation,” Tristan says, referring to Juniper’s initial diagnosis. “But we embraced it. We loved her smile then and now. We’ve loved every stage.”
