Our Forever Smiles with Laura Arroyo

In this episode of the Our Forever Smiles Podcast, Laura is joined by highly specialist UK speech and language therapists Hélène Somerville and Rhian Hoccom, co-authors with Lisa Farquhar of The Sound We Found, The Sound We See, and The Sound We Feel. Drawing on decades of experience supporting children with cleft lip and palate, Hélène and Rhian share practical ways families can encourage speech...

What does the cleft care journey look like from a baby's first surgery through adulthood? In this episode of the Our Forever Smiles Podcast, Laura sits down with craniofacial and plastic surgeon Dr. Christopher Runyan to discuss cleft lip and palate care across the lifespan. They cover the timing of lip and palate repair, NAM and presurgical options, feeding after surgery, fistulas, VPI, jaw surge...

In this heartfelt episode of the Our Forever Smiles Podcast, Laura sits down with Christine Bodie, a mother of six from North Pole, Alaska, to share the story of her youngest son, Corey, who was born with a complete bilateral cleft lip and palate. Christine opens up about the uncertainty of Corey's prenatal diagnosis, his NICU stay, feeding challenges, lip repair, and what it is like traveling hun...

What does it look like to choose joy when motherhood takes you down a road you never expected? In this episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura sits down with Shannon Hennen, a creative maker, storyteller, and mom of three. Shannon shares her journey raising her son Sam, who was born with a cleft and has faced a complex medical journey that includes heart conditions, feeding challenges, and more than...

What does the cleft journey look like 21 years later? In this episode of the Our Forever Smiles Podcast, Laura sits down with cleft mom and advocate Alyson Ferguson to reflect on raising her daughter, Madalyna from an unexpected cleft diagnosis and early feeding challenges to surgeries, bullying, advocacy, and ultimately learning to let go. Now 21, Madalyna is beginning to take ownership of her st...

In this heartfelt episode of the Our Forever Smiles Podcast, Laura sits down with Ebony Waldrum, wife, mother of two, cleft advocate, and author of Emmy's Beautiful Smile. Ebony shares the deeply personal journey of welcoming her daughter Emercyn, who was born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate. Ebony opens up about receiving Emercyn's diagnosis during her 20-week ultrasound, the fear and self...

What does it mean to truly embrace what makes you different? In this powerful conversation, Laura sits down with Justin Stewart, model, content creator, basketball coach, and Program Officer at myFace to discuss growing up with the rare craniofacial condition frontonasal dysplasia. Justin shares his journey from navigating bullying and multiple surgeries to building confidence, finding community,...

When Megan Smith learned she was expecting twins, she never imagined one of her boys would also be born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. In this heartfelt episode, Megan shares her family's journey from the shock of a prenatal diagnosis to navigating feeding challenges, surgeries, and life with three young boys—all while leaning on her faith through every season. Megan opens up about the gri...

In this heartfelt episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura sits down with Byrdie Wilson, a Nashville singer-songwriter and Operation Smile ambassador, and her mom, Pam, to share their family's cleft journey. From an unexpected cleft palate diagnosis and Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS) at birth to discovering at 24 that Byrdie may need another cleft-related surgery, this conversation highlights the lifelon...

What happens when two of your children are born with the same rare condition that doctors say is typically isolated? In this heartfelt episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura sits down with Stacey Charbel, a middle school teacher, cleft advocate, and mom to two daughters, Ava and Norah, both born with cleft palates caused by Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS). Stacey shares the unexpected diagnoses of both...

What happens when the anatomy scan changes everything? In this heartfelt episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura sits down with cleft mom Sam Beckstead to share the emotional story of learning her daughter had a cleft lip during pregnancy, navigating uncertainty, and discovering strength through the cleft community. Sam opens up about the shock of receiving a prenatal diagnosis, the emotional rollerc...

In this special episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura sits down with Andrea Garrett, founder of the Caring for Clefts Foundation, to share a perspective we haven't explored before, the grandparent journey. Andrea reflects on learning that her first granddaughter would be born with a cleft lip and palate, how that experience inspired her advocacy, and the importance of supporting families with compa...

What does it look like to grow up with a cleft lip and palate—and thrive? In this inspiring episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura Arroyo sits down with Malaki Ta'ase, Division I football player at Iowa State University, husband, father, and cleft advocate, to talk about his journey from childhood surgeries and speech therapy to competing at the highest levels of college athletics. Malaki shares how...

What does it mean to grow up alongside a sibling with a disability, and who supports the siblings along the way? In this heartfelt episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura sits down with pediatric dentist and mom Amy Kebriaei and her daughter, Leily Kebriaei, to discuss life with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome from a sibling's perspective. Amy shares the emotional journey of receiving her daughter Roya's d...

In this episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura sits down with Kailey Kuck to share the emotional journey of welcoming her daughter, Ember, who was unexpectedly born with a cleft palate and additional medical challenges. Kailey Kuck opens up about navigating feeding difficulties, advocating for the right medical team, receiving rare genetic diagnoses, and learning to trust her instincts as a mother....

What is it like to grow up with a cleft palate and learn to find your voice in a world that often feels intimidating? In this episode of Our Forever Smiles, Laura sits down with Delaney, a professional in the medical device industry who was born with a cleft palate, to discuss her personal journey through surgeries, speech therapy, self-confidence challenges, and ultimately finding the courage to...

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...