Grace Pettet was born in Washington state in 2024 with a cleft lip and palate. Thankfully Grace has access to skilled medical professionals to provide her with life-saving medical treatment – professionals such as Dr. Chris Zarella, who Grace’s mom Brandy met at a surgical consultation. Dr Zarella spoke to her about the work he does with AfS, and Brandy was so moved that she dedicated herself to raising money and awareness, so other children will have the same access to care that Grace has.
“Our Amazing Grace was born on February 13th, 2024, with cleft lip and palate. Every year, about 1 in 700 babies in the U.S. are born with a cleft or another craniofacial anomaly. At Grace’s anatomy scan, we learned that we would be part of that 1 in 700. At that moment, we were filled with so many emotions and fear of the unknown. Little did we know that our beautiful girl would become the greatest blessing our family could ever imagine.
“In addition to her cleft lip and palate, Grace was later diagnosed with Culler-Jones Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects her adrenal function and growth, causing hypopituitarism and hypoglycemia. We are deeply grateful to live in a place with access to incredible medical care, where skilled surgeons, doctors, and advanced technology helped us discover Grace’s diagnosis early. Most of all, we are thankful to have crossed paths with one of the most gifted pediatric craniofacial surgeons and gem of a human, Dr. Zarella, who not only changed Grace’s life, but ours as well.
“Dr. Zarella continues to change lives both locally and around the world through his work with Alliance for Smiles, providing life-changing surgeries to children in need. Grace’s resilience and strength continue to inspire us every day. To honor both Dr. Zarella and our Amazing Grace, we support Alliance for Smiles and their mission! Through their work, we hope to continue spreading courage, awareness, and the message that there is strength in every smile!”
– Brandy Pettet
As Brandy has told us, her goal is to empower Grace so that as she grows up, she sees cleft as something that makes her feel strong and empowered to help others.
