Taking part in CLAPA’s rebrand photoshoot was a huge step for Naz – after avoiding cameras for most of her life, even on her wedding day.
“I was so nervous on the way to the CLAPA photoshoot. I honestly thought about turning around and going home. I’ve always been self-conscious about my cleft. I don’t like the feeling of people looking at me or capturing my image.
Even on my wedding day, when everyone told me how beautiful the photos were, I still focused on the flaws I saw in myself.
“In the photos my dad took of us as children, I’m never smiling. I look tense and uncomfortable. Even on my wedding day, when everyone told me how beautiful the photos were, I still focused on the flaws I saw in myself.”
She said something shifted during the CLAPA photoshoot.
“I can’t believe how much I ended up enjoying it. As the day went on, I felt myself relaxing and becoming more confident. It really boosted my self-esteem. Now, I’m much more comfortable having photos taken at family gatherings. That’s something I never thought I’d say.” 
Naz was born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate in the late 1970s.
“It was before routine pregnancy scans, so my cleft was a complete surprise to everyone. I was the only one in my family born with it, and at the time, nobody really understood what a cleft was.
“I struggled with my speech and with eating, but at home my family treated me just like my siblings. My mum was my pillar of strength. She never made me feel different or less than anyone else.”
Starting school, however, was a turning point.
“That’s when it really hit me. I experienced a lot of bullying. That was the first time I truly felt different.”
Naz missed significant amounts of school due to surgeries and hospital stays and found it difficult to keep up academically.
I struggled with my studies and found it hard to make friends.
“At that time, there wasn’t much one-to-one support. If you managed to catch up, you caught up. If you didn’t, you were left behind. I struggled with my studies and found it hard to make friends. I probably had one close friend who was genuinely kind.”
She left school with only a few GCSEs and felt ready to give up on education altogether – until her mum encouraged her to try college.
“I didn’t believe in myself, but my mum did. She pushed me to continue, and going to college changed everything. I made friends. I found my voice. For the first time, I felt capable.”
College led to university and a career in health and social care. 
“Graduating was one of the proudest moments of my mum’s life. When I was born, doctors told her not to have high expectations for me. But when I graduated, I could see in her eyes how proud she was. It meant everything to both of us.”
Naz’s older sister also played a big role in building her confidence.
“At school, I never put my hand up. I didn’t want attention on me. But at college, my sister said, ‘Naz, you have to speak up. People won’t engage with you if you don’t show up.’
“Slowly, my confidence grew. I realised I needed to do this for myself – to push myself forward and not allow my fears to hold me back.”
Her love of learning has continued throughout her 17-year career working in health and social care within the NHS, and now in her role as a carer for her father.
“Working for the NHS has been incredibly meaningful to me. The care and support I received during my own treatment shaped my life, and it inspired me to give back. In many ways, I feel like I’m returning the compassion and dedication that was shown to me as a child. I understand first-hand how life-changing that support can be.
“I love education now. If there’s something to learn, I’ll grab it. I never want to feel left behind again.”
Naz first heard about CLAPA when her sister spotted a poster at the hospital.
“She has always been curious about my cleft. She would show me pictures from medical books and come with me to appointments. When she saw CLAPA’s poster, she said, ‘Naz, this is perfect for you’.”
Hearing other people’s stories and seeing their journeys was incredibly comforting.
Naz said joining CLAPA’s Facebook groups was another powerful moment.
“When I first joined CLAPA, I thought, ‘Wow, there are so many others like me. I’m not alone.’ Growing up, I had never met anyone else with a cleft lip. Hearing other people’s stories and seeing their journeys was incredibly comforting.
“I love seeing the children’s photos before and after surgery. Sometimes I tell my family to look at them too – especially my sister. She was so proud I did the photoshoot and shared my story.”
Naz said she continues to grow in confidence, “proving that the shy girl who once avoided the camera has become a woman willing to be seen – and heard”.
When I first joined CLAPA, I thought, ‘Wow, there are so many others like me. I’m not alone.’