When Sarah Heller was 24 weeks pregnant, she discovered that her baby, now-four-month-old Brody, had a cleft lip and palate during a routine ultrasound.
Sure, Sarah and her partner Chris Eidam, 30, were shocked, as TODAY discovered, but they soon realised they wanted to celebrate how beautiful their son looks despite the birth defect, and how much they love him.
Not only that, but the loved-up couple, now doting parents, wanted to raise awareness around babies born with cleft defects.
However, in their attempt to normalise cleft lip and palates with an Instagram feed teaming with beautiful, smiley pictures of Brody, Sarah was gobsmacked when online users started criticising her son.
“I wasn’t prepared to defend my 3-month-old and why he looks ‘different’ from other babies. I decided to educate rather than create a confrontation because that is what I want Brody to do in the future,” she said, as reported by TODAY.
A snapshot of Brody before he was born.
However, in their attempt to normalise cleft lip and palates with an Instagram feed flooded with beautiful, smiley pictures of Brody, Sarah was gobsmacked when online users started criticising her son.
“I wasn’t prepared to defend my 3-month-old and why he looks ‘different’ from other babies. I decided to educate rather than create a confrontation because that is what I want Brody to do in the future,” she said, as reported by TODAY.
“I will want him to educate, to be an advocate for younger cleft kids who don’t have their own voice yet.”
Brody is like a little ray of sunshine!
That night, Sarah was out to dinner with friends when she was handed what she thought was the bill… but it was actually an envelope with $1000 inside.
Along with the money, the sweet stranger left a note: “For the beautiful baby.”
“Tears fell from my eyes immediately and the happiness my heart felt is indescribable,” Sarah remembers.
Sarah and Chris put this money towards some of Brody’s medical bills, including lip surgery he had to fix his cleft lip on January 3.
Wishing Brody a speedy and smile-filled recovery!
