"Alam ko na darating ang araw na ang dating pangarap ay hindi na lamang magiging isang pangarap dahil may NCFPI na handang tumulong sa mga katulad ko" - Shaina Mae B. Gonzales (NCFPI Patient and Volunteer) Kasalukuyan ako'y dalawampung taong gulang at ipinanganak ako na may cleft lip at palate. Ngayo'y nasa unang taon na ako sa kolehiyo at kumukuha ng kursong Bachelor of Science in Tourism and Management dahil pangarap kong maging isang flight attendant kahit maraming mga tao ang humahamak sa pangarap ko. 18 days old pa lamang ako noong simulang ipa-assess ang aking kondisyon. Pagkapanganak pa lamang sa akin ay naranasan na ng aking mommy at lola ang hirap sa pagpapakain. Hindi ako katulad ng ibang baby na madaling ipa-breastfeed o painumin ng milk sa baby bottle…

"Dahil sa NCFPI, nagkaroon ako ng mga kaibigan na kagaya ko din na may cleft na lubusang nakakaintindi sa aking pinagdadaanan at nalaman kong hindi ako nag-iisa" - Jerome N.Castañeda, RMT (NCFPI Patient/Volunteer) Ipinanganak ako na may unilateral cleft lip and palate. Hindi inaasahang kondisyon, sa hindi inaasahang panahon. Mahirap ang buhay namin noon at wala ring sapat na kaalaman ang aking mga magulang tungkol sa aking kalagayan. May mga tao na nagsasabi na ito'y bunga ng isang sumpa, kulam, malas o kung anupaman. Ngunit hindi kami pinabayaan ng Panginoon at dinala kami sa mga foundation na nag bibigay ng libreng operasyon para sa mga kagaya ko. Naisakatuparan nga at naging matagumpay ang dalawang operasyon ko nung bata pa ako. Naisara ang butas sa aking ngala-ngala at naiayos ang aking…

"To NCFPI, thank you for giving Savannah the smile we thought we will never see." - Ms. Melbylene Broqueza (Mother of NCFPI patient) "Naku, ngot-bi"—the exact word I heard from the surgeon when I was in the operating room for my caesarean delivery to my second born. I thought I was just delusional; I closed my eyes and thought maybe I was just dreaming and what I heard wasn't right. I was full of vitamins and checkups at my Ob-Gyn. My eldest was also normal, same with me and my partner, so I told myself, "This cannot be." Until I was in the recovery room and the nurse approached me, "Did you know your baby has a cut like this?" pointing to her lips trying not to tell the word…

Sa tulong ng NCFPI ay naranasan ko ang pagtanggap sa aking kalagayan at natutunan ko ang kumpletong pangangalaga para sa mga katulad kong may cleft. - Mr. Dave Santamaria (NCFPI Patient and Volunteer) Ayon sa aking mga magulang sila'y nagulat noong akoy ipinanganak sapagkat ako ay na diagnose na mayroong complete cleft lip and palate. Hindi sila makapaniwala sa aking kalagayan subalit nanatili silang matatag sa kabila ng lahat ng ito. Hindi naging madali ang pagpapalaki sa akin sapagkat ako ay palaging may sakit at may mahinang pangangatawan. Dumating rin na hindi alam ng aking Ina ang kanyang gagawin dahil sa bigat ng aking karamdaman. Hindi ko alam kung hangang kailan ang ganoong sitwasyon ko, ngunit sa awa ng Diyos ako'y napa-operahan ng aking ina sa labi at ngala-ngala noong…

"Never let the narrow-minded people define what you and your kid can do and become. The world will always have downers but there will be more people who will choose to love us unconditionally." - Dr. Chris Guzman (NCFPI Parent Volunteer) It was never easy giving birth to a cleftie. I knew that my son, MJ had a cleft lip and palate during my 5th month of pregnancy. I was tormented with how's and why's, those questions were left unanswered. I was happy he's healthy, but at the same time scared of what his future will be, how people would see him, will he be discriminated? It was a roller coaster of emotions. I searched for well-known surgeons, and initially settled for an Oral Maxillofacial surgeon who did an obturator…

Being a cleft is indeed not easy, but it has refined and changed my views for the better. - Vhince Nakar (NCFPI Patient) I would like to start my story as beautiful as it could be like those in fairy tales. Sadly, real life is never similar to fairy tales, but I hoped it did. I was born with cleft lip and palate. It’s a defect that has affected my speech, teeth, facial structure, and even my social life. Because of my disability, I was bullied and treated as an outcast in every social group I am in. As sad it may be, I even received discrimination from my very own relatives. Hearing it as a kid, knowing what they meant, was very painful and unimaginable. I would go to…

"You could always do something for the cleft community either donate, educate other people or cleft affected families, give pieces of advice, or sometimes, just be there and listen." - Ms. Jadee Lopez (NCFPI Parent Volunteer) When we found out Gabbie will be born with cleft lip and palate, I searched for well-known doctors. For some reason, I would always end up on NCFPI website. So what I did was look up for their officers, and there, I found Dr. Glenda de Villa who at that time was the president. We scheduled a meeting and the first time I saw her, we felt the warmth, the care, the sincerity, the confidence, and the calmness in her. We knew we found Gabbie’s surgeon. Along the way, while doing private checkups under…

"Mahalin at alagaan natin ang ating mga anak anuman ang kanilang kalagayan, dahil sila ang tanging regalo ng Diyos sa ating mga magulang" - Mauralyn Boco (NCFPI Patient Mother) Taong 2015 nang nakilala nang pamilya ko ang NCFPI. Pinanganak ko noon ang aming panganay na si Fairyleen, siya ay may cleft lip. Dinala siya ng asawa ko sa Ospital ng Muntinlupa para ipa-check ang kanyang sitwasyon ngunit tila isang pagkakataon na nakita ng asawa ko ang poster NCFPI sa bulletin board ng Ospital. Dinala namin sa NCFPI si Fairyleen at naging matagumpay ang kanyang operasyon sa labi. Ngunit sinubok ulit kaming mag-asawa. August 2019 ay nagsilang akong muli ng isang sanggol. Nagulat kaming mag asawa dahil si Baby Raiszen ay mayroon namang cleft lip at palate. Panibagong pagsubok ito para…

"Through volunteering, I learned more about my missions in life as it was already in my heart when I was young like it was my sealed orders from God." - Dr. Crysoine Marquez (NCFPI Volunteer Orthodontist) Since college, I have loved participating in the medical and dental missions of our organization. It was 2008, when I met NCFPI through my friend and classmate Dr. Janet Pandan. I was encouraged to join with her when I heard her talking about NCFPI. During the thirteen years of my volunteering experience at NCFPI, I enjoyed having new friends with other volunteers. Now, I'm still in the journey of continuous learning especially in the seminars and trainings I attended with the help of NCFPI. It's nice to see the results of what you have…

"Madaming beses mang hindi natuloy ang surgery ng aking anak ay hindi kami sumuko na magkakaroon siyang muli ng magandang ngiti. At dumating nga ang araw na iyon" - Anira Alauya (NCFPI Parent Patient)