Chris tackles the Thames Path Challenge
Chris is the Secretary of the Great Ormond Street Branch of CLAPA and was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. In September he will be completing the Thames Path Challenge by walking 25km along the river, and is hoping to smash his target of £400.
Over Awareness Week, Chris was one of the adults who submitted their stories and photos to make up our Wall of Smiles.
In Chris’s own words: “I was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. This places me in one of the best possible positions to know what it is to be like a person born with that condition, but also the stresses and strains that are put on the immediate family, in particular, the mother. There is a tendency for her to seek reasons and indeed in the early stages blame herself for the condition. It is, in my view, extremely important for the immediate parents of a child so born to have the best possible guidance and information to show how much can be done to alleviate the condition and to that end, CLAPA can play a significant roll in the early days. Having provided the initial input, it would be a great benefit to the child concerned and its parents to continue support throughout the school days. It is so comforting to know your consultant and to receive his treatment throughout the years.”
We wish him the very best of luck on his walk and with his fundraising!
