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Leoncio is named for his grandfather, mom Karina says, although his dad has affectionately nicknamed him “Loncho.”
Leoncio, an adorable 14-month-old, has already had two surgeries to correct a condition with which he was born, bi-lateral cleft lip and palate. Clefts occur when the tissues of the mouth or lip don't form properly during early fetal development. Although the definitive cause of clefting is unknown, it is a condition that often is seen more with little boys and, importantly, can be detected prior to birth. Such was the case for Karina and Frank McClarnon, who live in St. Augustine.
When Karina first heard the news following a prenatal ultrasound at 16 weeks, of course, she cried to think that there could be any problem with their unborn child. However, knowing ahead of time enabled the McClarnons to be prepared, choose and meet with surgeons, and get the baby into the system for the care that he would need. Part of this preparation meant that Karina knew to call Nemours’ speech pathologist, Catherine Swanson, when Karina was having trouble feeding Leoncio right after his birth. Swanson even traveled to a St. Augustine hospital while the baby was still in the newborn nursery.
Three days after his birth on November 10, 2008, the parents and Leoncio were meeting with Dr. Brett Snyder, a plastic surgeon. Dr. Snyder taught them how to use surgical tape to pull the top lip together in preparation for his first surgery. So at three months, Dr. Snyder closed Leoncio’s bi-lateral cleft lip during an out-patient surgery procedure, and, amazingly, the baby went home that same day.
In September 2009, in a two hour surgery, the baby’s muscles and soft palate were repaired, again by Dr. Snyder and also, Dr. Saswata Roy. Leoncio spent one night at Wolfson, and then home he went. Due to the excellence of his first two surgeries, no further ones are planned at this time. Around nine, he will undergo surgery where a bone graft from his hip will be needed to create the hard palate. If speech development is a problem, he could have surgery between the ages of five to seven.
Leoncio might have surgery for a scar revision, but as Dad Frank says, “He looks so good now that I’m not so sure ‘Loncho’ will need that.” The slight scar on his upper lip is barely noticeable with that delightful baby grin.
Karina and Frank both shared that everything, the nurses, the 4th floor at Wolfson, the instruction, and the surgeons, were much better than they expected. In their words, “The whole experience was fantastic!” Karina added that Dr. Snyder and Dr. Roy have magic hands. Loving parents who are well-prepared, a top-notch hospital, nurses, and surgeons all can make a difficult situation come out very positive. Just look at that darling Leoncio!
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