Duck Dynasty's Missy & Jase Robertson on How Faith Sustains Them Through Daughter Mia's Surgeries
The Robertsons have also started a website called MiaMoog.org which serves as a resource for parents whose children are born with the condition.
(West Monroe, LA)—"Duck Dynasty" stars Missy and Jase Robertson revealed that their deep Christian faith and tight-knit family have served as a tremendous source of strength as their daughter, Mia, has undergone numerous surgeries to correct a cleft lip and palate. (Photo via Gospel Herald)
In a recent interview with Fox News, the A&E reality stars opened up about some of the challenges the family has faced over the past few years, particularly in finding the right treatment and care for Mia.
The couple found out Mia, now 11, would have a cleft lip and palate in the summer of 2003 after Missy underwent a 4-D ultrasound to see the features of her unborn daughter.
Cleft lips and palates form in the womb, resulting in a gap in the upper lip or the roof of the mouth because the tissue did not fully form during early pregnancy. Approximately 2,650 babies are born with a cleft palate in the U.S. each year, and approximately 4,440 babies are born with a cleft lip, with or without a cleft palate, according to the CDC.
"I had heard of it, but I knew nothing of the condition at all," Missy said.
"We didn't realize either the difference in just a cleft lip and a cleft palate, which doesn't sound like a whole lot, but [for] the lip you do a couple of surgeries, or one and you're good to go," Jase added. "When it involves the palate it's going to be a long journey because then even though you can repair it and form the palate as you grow, the jaw and the palate you created don't grow right."
Just a few weeks after her birth in September 2003, Mia was fitted with her first palatal appliance at the International Craniofacial Institute in Dallas, Texas.
"We were led to the International Craniofacial Institute through a mutual friend who had a child who was there, and they had found out early in their pregnancy, and they were able to do an extensive search, so we kind of just went on faith," Missy said.
"We wanted the best possible care we could find for her and this condition," she continued. "There're a lot of cosmetic surgeons in America that do cleft lip and palate procedures, but they're not at the top of their list, and we wanted someone who really takes the time to research this, and try to..."
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