Our Forever Smiles with Laura Arroyo

In this deeply moving episode of Our Forever Smiles, host Laura Arroyo sits down with Amy Lewis Hofland, Director of the Crow Museum of Asian Art in Dallas, Texas, and an adult born with a cleft lip and palate. Amy shares her personal journey growing up with cleft, navigating years of surgeries, childhood bullying, self-image challenges, and the emotional realities that often went unspoken within...

In this powerful and hope-filled episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura Arroyo sits down with three incredible leaders in the cleft and craniofacial community: Suzanne Santomieri, Stephanie Hassen, and Jessi Hill. Together, they discuss the emotional realities of supporting cleft families, the importance of community care, and the exciting launch of the 100 Cleft Portrait Tour. This moving conversat...

In this heartfelt episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura Arroyo sits down with pediatric dentist and cleft mom Dr. Jordan Virden for an honest conversation about navigating the cleft journey from both sides of the chair. As a volunteer on the Johns Hopkins Cleft Team and a first-time mom to baby Eli, Jordan shares what it was like receiving a prenatal cleft diagnosis despite already working closely...

In this deeply informative and compassionate episode of Our Forever Smiles, host Laura Bethea sits down with longtime genetic counselor Robin Imagire to unpack one of the biggest questions cleft families ask: Why did this happen? With over 30 years of experience working alongside craniofacial teams, Robin shares honest insight into the complex world of cleft genetics, including what "multifactoria...

In this deeply moving episode of Our Forever Smiles, host Laura Arroyo sits down with Maria, a cleft mom from Greece, to share her powerful journey of navigating a prenatal cleft diagnosis, unexpected fear, and finding strength through motherhood and community. Maria opens up about the emotional moment she learned her son had a cleft lip, the devastating and ultimately incorrect Down syndrome scar...

In this episode of Our Forever Smiles , host Laura Arroyo sits down with Kindsay, a first-time mom navigating life with her six-month-old son born with a cleft lip and palate. Kindsay shares her deeply personal journey — from receiving an unexpected diagnosis late in pregnancy to navigating the emotional realities of birth, NICU time, feeding challenges, and her son's cleft lip repair. She opens u...

In this episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura sits down with Franleska Garcia, cleft mom to a three-year-old boy born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate, author, and creator of La Sonrisa de Fer. Franleska shares her experience receiving a prenatal diagnosis, navigating NAM therapy and multiple surgeries, and processing the grief that often accompanies a cleft journey. She reflects on how storyt...

In this powerful and deeply moving episode, Laura sits down with Jonathan, a member of a three-generation cleft-affected family, to explore healing, identity, and advocacy. From surviving trauma and "cleft rage" to finding purpose through community, Johnathan shares how he transformed pain into power. Together, they discuss the father's role in the cleft journey, breaking cycles of shame, and what...

In this episode of Our Forever Smiles , Laura Arroyo sits down with Kristi Pimentel, founder of Berries and Roses Swimwear and mom to a daughter born with a cleft lip and palate. Kristi shares her journey from diagnosis to motherhood, opening up about the early challenges and the strength she found along the way. What makes this conversation especially powerful is the purpose behind Berries and Ro...

In this episode of Our Forever Smiles , Laura is joined by Maddie Nipper, mom to Levi Samuel, who was born with a complete bilateral cleft lip and palate. Maddie shares her experience navigating prenatal diagnosis, feeding challenges, grief over breastfeeding, and becoming the first family to complete the NAM program at UNC. Together, they talk honestly about surgery, sibling dynamics, faith, and...

In this powerful episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura sits down with Kori — a licensed social worker, maternal health advocate, and mom to two — whose second child was prenatally diagnosed with a cleft lip and palate. Already working in perinatal mental health, Kori thought she was prepared. But an unexpected ultrasound at 18 weeks revealed a cleft diagnosis, additional physical markers, and the p...

In this episode of Our Forever Smiles , Laura is joined by Chloe and Lainey, two business administration students united by a shared passion for advocacy and impact. Together, they created Bring Smiles Despite Miles , a fundraising and awareness campaign in partnership with Smile Train, supporting children around the world who need access to life changing cleft surgery and care. Chloe shares her l...

En este episodio especial en español de Our Forever Smiles , Laura conversa con Luisa Scott, mamá latina de una bebé nacida con labio y paladar hendido, y con Angie Morillas, terapeuta del habla del equipo de fisuras y diferencias craneofaciales de la Universidad de Minnesota. Luisa Scott comparte su experiencia al recibir un diagnóstico inesperado durante el embarazo, el impacto emocional para el...

In this return episode of Our Forever Smiles , Laura sits down again with Allie Ekblad, children's book author, cleft advocate, and creator of Ava the Brava . Allie shares how her advocacy has evolved beyond the book, what it's been like raising a child with a bilateral cleft lip and palate, and how confidence, identity, and resilience are shaped over time. Together, they talk honestly about the r...

In this heartfelt episode of Our Forever Smiles , host Laura Arroyo sits down with Brandy, a mom of two whose youngest daughter was born with a surprise cleft palate diagnosed at birth. After a smooth pregnancy and normal ultrasounds, Brandy and her husband were shocked to learn about their daughter's cleft in the delivery room. What followed was a whirlwind of feeding challenges, jaundice, long h...

In this episode of the Our Forever Smiles podcast, host Laura Arroyo sits down with Sarah Norwood to share her personal journey with her son Hollis's palate repair. From hospital recovery, feeding challenges, and pain management, to sleep regressions and speech milestones, Sarah offers candid insights and practical tips for parents navigating the cleft journey. We also answer questions from cleft...

In this deeply personal and eye-opening episode of Our Forever Smiles , Laura welcomes returning guest Corinne for her third appearance on the podcast. Born with a cleft lip and palate, Corinne shares her lifelong journey through more than 30 surgeries, including repeated palate repair failures, innovative fat grafting procedures, and the emotional toll of navigating cleft care into adulthood. Tog...

In this episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura speaks with Erica, Executive Director of the Children's Craniofacial Association, about growing up with an undiagnosed craniofacial difference and finding her voice through advocacy. Erica shares her lived experience navigating surgeries, self-image, and the long road to confidence. Together, they discuss the importance of language, accessibility, paren...

In this episode of Our Forever Smiles , Laura speaks with Christina, a first-time mom from Serbia whose son was prenatally diagnosed with a cleft lip and palate at 26 weeks. Christina shares her experience navigating diagnosis, specialist care, and preparation for surgery within a different healthcare system. She opens up about feeding challenges, NAM therapy, finding community support, and learni...

In this episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura welcomes back cleft advocate Sam to share his powerful lived experience growing up with bilateral cleft lip and palate. Born in Bulgaria and adopted to the U.S., Sam opens up about early surgeries, speech challenges, bullying, and navigating identity as both an adoptee and someone with a facial difference. Together, they discuss global stigma, harmful l...

In this episode of Our Forever Smiles , Laura sits down with Natalie and Alec, parents to Zade, who was born with a cleft lip and palate. They share their experience navigating a prenatal diagnosis, an unexpected NICU stay, feeding challenges, and learning how to advocate within a complex medical system. This honest conversation highlights the importance of asking questions, finding community supp...

In this episode of Our Forever Smiles , Laura speaks with Meirah, a mother, author, and advocate whose son was born with a complete bilateral cleft lip and palate. Meirah shares her experience navigating a surprise diagnosis at birth, feeding challenges, and seeking cleft care across multiple countries. She reflects on choosing early surgical repair, raising a confident child, and how lived experi...

In this episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura sits down with Stephanie, a cleft mom and Executive Director of the Face-to-Face Foundation. Stephanie shares her family's prenatal cleft diagnosis journey, the realities of cleft care, and how lived experience led her into advocacy work. Together, they discuss the importance of community connection, medical grants, and supporting families beyond surger...

In this episode of Our Forever Smiles , Laura sits down with Natalie, a mom of two whose son was prenatally diagnosed with a cleft lip. Natalie shares the emotional journey from receiving the diagnosis at 16 weeks to preparing for surgery and finding peace in the unknown. She opens up about anxiety, faith, choosing the right cleft team, and what helped her feel grounded during pregnancy. This conv...

Brooklyn joins Our Forever Smiles to share her experience as a cleft mom navigating diagnosis, surgery, and motherhood with resilience and honesty. She opens up about the emotional ups and downs of the cleft journey and the importance of community support. This episode centers on growth, advocacy, and learning to trust yourself as a parent. A comforting and relatable conversation for moms at any s...