This collection of images is inspired by my personal cleft journey. It is a self-reflection and self-analysis of my life so far, from birth to adulthood, detailing my thoughts, feelings and emotions associated with the congenital condition scientifically known as “incomplete cleft of the soft palate”.
A cleft palate is a split in the roof of the mouth that occurs when the tissue does not fuse together correctly during early fetal development. Cleft palates can often include a split in the upper lip to the nose. This severe form is referred to as a complete cleft lip and palate, either unilateral or bilateral. Clefts have many associated impairments such as feeding difficulties, speech and dental alignment problems, cosmetic/ aesthetic concerns as well as psychological issues. These congenital malformations are the most common worldwide, affecting between 1-25 babies in every 10’000 born.
The book is divided into three sections; each visualising a significant chapter of my cleft journey.
Before visualises the different aspects of my life before the many cleft associated surgeries. This section includes aspects involved at the very origin of the condition such as genes present within DNA structures, as well as difficulties feeding as a baby.
During is a reflection of the many cleft associated surgeries I have undergone since birth through to my late teens, including repairs to the soft palate, insertion of widening tubes into the middle ear and removal of teeth. Themes that inspired this part of the book include hospital stays, pain, fear and sutures.
The third section of the book is entitled After and this section visualises my post-surgery experience, such as the scars left behind - both physical and psychological. The effects of this birth abnormality continue to influence me psychologically and have negatively affected my selfconfidence - something I am working on to this day to repair.
