Sara Heller and her partner, Chris Eidam, discovered via ultrasound that their 24-week son Brody had a bilateral cleft palate.
Tissues in the baby’s face and mouth don’t fuse properly in the womb, resulting in openings and splits on both sides of the baby’s mouth. Brody also has a rare chromosome deletion. He’s lost certain chromosomes which have resulted in abnormalities.
They were asked if they wanted to continue the pregnancy, and they did.
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Sara and Chris would love their child no matter what. They took to social media to help spread awareness, hopeful that by sharing Brody’s journey on Facebook and Instagram, people would learn more about cleft lips and palates.
“It is OK to be proud of your baby no matter the circumstances,” Sara shared.
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The positive couple went ahead with their plan, proudly sharing photos of adorable little Brody on Facebook and Instagram. They certainly got a lot of positive and encouraging reactions.
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Then there were nasty ones.
A social media user posted a negative comment on Brody’s photo saying. “What’s wrong with your baby’s nose? I’ve never seen anything like that. It doesn’t look good” Sara shared.
The stranger’s hurtful comment hurt Sara like it would any mother.
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Sara wondered how her son would have reacted. She also knew it wouldn’t be the last of negative reactions. Still, she kept her head up.
Instead of impulsively reacting with an angry reply, Sara decided to help inform the social media user by attaching a link from a reliable website that had an informative explanation about a cleft palate.
“I decided to educate rather than create a confrontation because that is what I want Brody to do in the future. I will want him to educate, to be an advocate for younger cleft kids who don’t have their own voice yet.” She shared.
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A few hours after she saw and responded to the hurtful comment, Sara went out for dinner with some friends. She took Brody along for the dinner, a few days before New Year’s Eve.
A server approached and asked who the child’s mother was. He then handed Sara a piece of paper given by a complete stranger.
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What looked like a napkin, as Sara would find out, was a folded check.
So Sara opened the folded check ad to her shock, saw the amount of $1,000 written with a note in the memo line saying, “For the beautiful baby.”
“Tears fell from my eyes immediately and the happiness my heart felt is indescribable.” Sara says of the moment.
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The stranger’s surprise helped Sara and Chris cover Brody’s medical needs. Brody underwent surgery a few days after that fateful encounter in the restaurant. The stranger’s generosity helped fix the cleft palate and the couple were more than grateful.
“Being Brody’s parent has taught me that people care. Strangers all over the country want to hear his story, and they want to pray for him.” Sara shared.
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And because of all the love and support they’ve received, Brody has grown into a handsome young kid with the sweetest smile!
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