Marketing, at its core, is about reaching more of the right people. Whether the purpose of that is
sales, education, partnership, donations, the fundamentals of understanding the audience and
figuring out how to connect with them remain the same.
Part of our core ethos as Versterken Marketing is to help companies who are doing good reach
the right people and this is driven from my personal experiences.
1 in every 1,700 babies in the US are born with a cleft palate. This is our founder, Heidi’s,
account of her experiences, the cost of misinformation, and why this has shaped her passion for
supporting the healthcare industry here at Versterken marketing.
I’ve been a “cleft kid” since June 9, 1980 when I was born with a cleft palate. “A hole in the roof of your mouth” was how my Mom explained it to me when I was young. From the years 1980-1988 I had four surgeries to repair my cleft palate and I grew up with the statistic that there was a 60% chance I could have a child with a cleft palate.
There are so many things I didn’t know about this experience:
but I do know that it was a huge part of my life.
At 32 I had my own child – a young healthy boy who also had a cleft palate.
What I found was that even 32 years later there was still a lack of education. A lack of information about how to help a young mother and father take care of their son.
However, what you don’t know can put our children in jeopardy.
After birth we met with our pediatrician, then we saw a plastic surgeon to learn what the journey to repair will look like. Both confirmed that breastfeeding was best, we were given reading material, and sent on our way. But we later found out that our son wasn’t being fed enough and was working to hard because of this advice.
We should have started with the Medela Haberman Bottle (now called Medela “Special Needs” Feeder) on Day 1 but we didn’t know it existed.
Not only was our son not getting enough to eat (and working too hard to try to suck – burning too many calories), he was losing weight and came dangerously close to being readmitted with jaundice. With no support, no lactation consultant on call over a holiday weekend, no proper tools and education, we struggled on. We informed ourselves how we could help our son.
Eleven months later, a ‘classic closure’ surgery was completed – but this type of closure has a weak point and it reopened.
A child with a cleft palate may have fluid issues in their ear that affects their hearing and
therefore speech development. We were advised to use ear tubes – even though our son has
no signs of needing them. Now 12 years later we just completed the repair of the permanent
hole one had left – with hearing loss.
When our second child arrived, my husband diagnosed his cleft palate himself because it was missed by our doctor, despite knowing our family history.
We were much more well-informed by then and were prepared with the Medela bottle as a just-in-case measure – even though genetics said we shouldn’t have two children with a cleft palate. Yet, the doctors and nurses pushed back on our decision to immediately choose this method.
When I was finally connected with a lactation consultant, she provided me with true accurate information for 2015 and in depth guidance to ensure our son remained healthy and well-fed.
This time, our second son’s repair was strong and good, using a much stronger zig-zag approach.The cleft team at University of Wisconsin Madison was fantastic – treating not only our youngest son but our oldest on his re-repair following this same method. Dr. Delora Mount drew out the picture, explained the importance and had a team behind her. Being able to ask questions and receive answers in real-time was so important. The team wanted to educate and
make a better experience and life opportunities for the children they worked with.
He also needed ear tubes, but again, a different approach was taken that meant he wasn’t left with permanent holes.
While the experience was somewhat better, that was down to our own education and awareness. Even in 2015, the knowledge, tactics, and tools available not just to parents but to medical professionals was limited and was still having a profound effect on parents’ ability to care for their children.
Since 2012, I’ve been searching for ways to make an impact. I’ve spoken at the University of Wisconsin Pathology department student meetings about my experience as a craniofacial cleft palate patient, a parent, and the real struggles of feeding and information.
The university had a “Cleft Club” that provides feeding kits for new parents with childrens of clefts.
I also work to be an ambassador for ACPA, following posts, sharinginformation, and supporting them in sharing their message. I follow Smile Train and love how they are helping, educating, and using the power of video, photos, and storytelling to build brand awareness globally.
Now, through Versterken Marketing and the network that my business has allowed me to grow, I’d like to extend that passion within Europe and the Netherlands. To use my personal experience within the cleft palate community to help other parents and support the organizations who are spreading correct information.
If you work for an organization that could use some support or know someone who does, why not share this article with them? Or better yet, connect us so I can help provide a voice for those not able to get the education they need to help their children.
Book a free consultation to grab a virtual coffee with our founder, Heidi. And chat about elevating your business with the strength of an entire marketing team supporting you.
