Up to four babies a day are born with a cleft lip or palate. But do you even know what this is?
Basically, this is a split in the upper lip and/or the roof of the mouth that is present from birth. In the UK, it's the most common birth defect and it occurs in the womb.
It's such a common thing that it's quite strange how little many of us seem to know about it. One person who's attempting to raise awareness is Lewis Ryan, a 23-year-old lad from Suffolk.
Advert
He was born with a cleft lip and palate and had his first operation when he was just three days old.
Lewis told TheLADbible: "I spent a week in special care. The next operation was to repair the palate, and once again I had to go back into special care, but this time with my arms splinted down so I couldn't touch my face. What followed that was my first bone graft."
He continued: "They took bone from my hip and placed it in my gums and palate to help with growth. I remember this so clearly as when I came round after the operation, I remember my face feeling oddly heavy.
Advert
"People were giving me really weird looks. I finally got a chance to see myself in the mirror and it looked like I'd gone 12 rounds with Mike Tyson!"
Since then, he's had nearly 20 operations and three bone grafts. His surgeries are now complete.
Now, seeing as Lewis, who works as a chef, doesn't have to spend half his time in hospital, he's started giving back. He's raised thousands for charity, but his main focus is to raise awareness.
Advert
Lewis explained: "So far, I've raised over £14,000. I've done this by organising fun days, fun runs, taking part in the London 10K, sorting out charity dinners and I even took part in a sky dive."
Footage of Ben's sky dive. Credit: Supplied
But he's not stopping there. In April, he's tackling the Brighton Marathon. There is absolutely no stopping this lad. He said: "I don't think there's going to be a point when I stop fundraising because it's something I enjoy. Talking about my condition is great as it's a part of me, so I regularly do public speeches now.
"I have recently taken on a volunteering role of a peer contact as well. This involves talking to young adults who are currently going through what I already have. I offer them support and they can relate to me as I've literally been where they are.
Advert
"If I had to put a number on how much I'd like to raise, I guess it would be £50,000. That would be amazing!"
What an inspiration.
Credit: Supplied
Advert
Lewis had some words of advice for anyone else who's got a cleft lip or palate, as he said: "Embrace it and be confident. You might be going through a tough time at school or just day-to-day, but it's a part of you and you're not alone.
"There's always someone to talk to, but most importantly always have a smile on your face you're just as special and unique as any person."
Lewis, we're proud to give you the title of LAD of the Week!
We want to showcase YOUR stories. What are you doing to benefit the community? Is your mate doing something awesome for someone else? Even if you're just helping your next door neighbour in the cold winter months - we want to know about it. Email us with your story - [email protected] and you could be featured next week.
Topics: Lad of the week, Charity