Grants
Grant Recipients
2023 Grant Recipient
Recipient text goes here.
Tina
Jordan's Story
I was asked to write about my journey to surgery with a cleft lip and palate. The
picture that I would like to share with you is the class of 2035. They’re one of the
reasons that I searched for a doctor to help me. The hole in the roof of my mouth
was expanding and I was having a hard time enunciating. When you are trying to
teach 4 year olds their letters and letter sounds it needs to be on point and I was
struggling. I was referred to two surgeons in my area, but was told they only
performed surgeries on children. The second surgeon gave me Dr Kapitan’s number,
which I thought.… the third time’s a charm.
It wasn’t luck, it was a blessing. From the consultation to my post op visit I felt that I was in the best care. Having this extensive surgery at my age I was nervous and not to mention the cost was a concern, but this procedure needed/had to happen.
I will forever be thankful and always grateful because I am abundantly blessed.
Tina
Garret
Garret's Story
Raising an adopted child with craniofacial needs has been a humbling journey for our family, presenting unique challenges since our son’s first days at home. Our child had already survived life-threatening medical conditions, which had left scars on his little body and deprived him of the opportunity to experience life with other children outside of closely monitored medical facilities. But the most noticeable feature of our son’s many needs, and what drew us to him most, was his smile. *Garrett was born with birth defects and a genetic condition that caused multiple craniofacial anomalies, including a shortened jaw, which made his smile appear crooked, microtia atresia, and a hidden cleft palate.
Doctor’s appointments occurred at an overwhelming rate, and insurance copays and deductibles strained our financial resources more than we imagined. Payment plans began to mount with two area hospitals and other providers and therapists our son needed to see. So much was going on medically with this little boy, but what mattered most was that we had him home. After several months of waiting for him and planning for his care, we could begin to meet his emotional and medical needs.
Life changed dramatically for our family. We budgeted everything we made and looked for opportunities to save and make extra money wherever we could. Garrett’s medical team seemed to change with each new medical diagnosis. Surgeries we had hoped for were not happening, and medical professionals referred us to other specialists when they realized the complexity of his care. After years of striving to give our son the best medical care and paying for it at literally all costs, we met the amazing team of doctors, surgeons, and specialists at Carolinas Oral and Facial Surgery.
Dr. Kapitan and his staff have been treating our son and helping us coordinate a comprehensive plan for his medical needs over the past two years. They have also referred us to additional medical and developmental specialists to address other areas of need such as speech, orthodontics, and audiology. We are so thankful to our wonderful team at Carolinas Oral and Facial Surgery for their compassionate care and the connections they’ve helped us make with other medical professionals.
Your contributions to the CleftOut Foundation will aid families like ours in affording necessary specialized care for their child. People impacted by cleft and craniofacial diagnoses deserve to have access to amazing doctors, nurses, and specialists dedicated to providing comprehensive care for patients with often complicated medical conditions. Thank you for financially supporting this incredible foundation in their work to improve the lives of children and families.
Sharon Crisp
May 22, 2022
Emaline
Emaline's Story
Our family cannot begin to thank the Cleft Out Foundation enough for their support and generosity to our daughter, Emmi. Emmi is almost seven years old and was born with a cleft lip and palate. She joined our family in November 2017 at the age of two. As if international adoptions are not expensive enough, we were concerned about the cost of surgeries and ongoing care for her. After three surgeries by the amazing team at the Carolinas Center for Oral & Facial Surgery, we were still uncertain about the future financial burden of orthodontics for her. After applying, we were graciously chosen to receive the grant from Cleft Out. It literally brought us to tears as this was a tremendous answer to our prayers. It immediately alleviated any financial pressure we felt and allowed us to focus on enjoying her as our daughter. Dr. Kapitan and his team and Dr. Quimby and Dr. Collins’ team have given her the very best care. Emmi has a beautiful smile, lots of self-confidence, and a bright future. The Cleft Out Foundation, Carolinas Center for Oral & Facial Surgery, and Quimby & Collins Orthodontics are a gift to our family and so many others. Thank you!
Kyle Scarlett
Family Discipleship Pastor
Hickory Grove Baptist Church | Harris
Mae
Garret's Story
We adopted Mae in the summer of 2015. She was 3 and a half and had a full bilateral cleft lip and palate. Since that summer, she has had 4 major surgeries, using three separate hospitals and surgeons. She has also undergone the first of 2 sets of braces, an expander, tooth extractions and numerous appointments. She has been such a trooper!
Needless to say, the expense of these medical needs is no laughing matter. Even with insurance, it has a high out of pocket cost, especially the dental side. Receiving the grant from Dr. Kapitan’s CleftOut foundation has been such a blessing! We chose to put it right into her orthodonture. With 5 other children, we already knew orthodonture was expensive, but now we had two bouts of it to pay for with her. It’s truly amazing what this scholarship helps people do. We are thankful for these amazing people who have a heart for children like Mae!
Jordan
Jordan's Story
Thank you so very much to each and every member of the Cleft Out Foundation!
Coming from a family where both of our children have clefts to varying degrees the relief of receiving assistance in medical debts is most certainly greatly appreciated! On top of the global pandemic of COVID-19, this last year has been an even greater transition for our family due to a complete relocation due to a new job for my wife and I both. And with that the increased issues of seeking and receiving insurance coverage of any kind, introductory probationary periods of new coverage, and the mounting monthly costs of insurance itself has caused a great deal of stress and anxiety especially being that we are self-supportive. Jordan was born with a bilateral cleft of her lip and a complete cleft of both her hard and soft palate. It is without a doubt a great honor and with extreme appreciation of your organization that our daughter even has a chance to receive the care that she needs and that it has given her such a lifelong boost in confidence. It also will help in restoring her trust that others outside her own family do genuinely care to see her succeed in life. We simply cannot thank you enough for your assistance!
Very Respectfully,
Adam Self
Emaline
Emaline's Story
Our family cannot begin to thank the Cleft Out Foundation enough for their support and generosity to our daughter, Emmi. Emmi is almost seven years old and was born with a cleft lip and palate. She joined our family in November 2017 at the age of two. As if international adoptions are not expensive enough, we were concerned about the cost of surgeries and ongoing care for her. After three surgeries by the amazing team at the Carolinas Center for Oral & Facial Surgery, we were still uncertain about the future financial burden of orthodontics for her. After applying, we were graciously chosen to receive the grant from Cleft Out. It literally brought us to tears as this was a tremendous answer to our prayers. It immediately alleviated any financial pressure we felt and allowed us to focus on enjoying her as our daughter. Dr. Kapitan and his team and Dr. Quimby and Dr. Collins’ team have given her the very best care. Emmi has a beautiful smile, lots of self-confidence, and a bright future. The Cleft Out Foundation, Carolinas Center for Oral & Facial Surgery, and Quimby & Collins Orthodontics are a gift to our family and so many others. Thank you!
Kyle Scarlett
Family Discipleship Pastor
Hickory Grove Baptist Church | Harris