Griffin's Story

Eighteen-year-old Griffin is an avid golfer who also enjoys video editing and production.

Griffin recently graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover and is now a student at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Griffin has been coming to Shriners Children's Boston for cleft lip and cleft palate treatment most of his life. “Whenever we go into Shriners for an appointment, they make us feel like we are the only people there. As I got older, it almost did not feel like I was going to a hospital because everyone knew me. The surgeon, the nurses and the people at registration were the same people even after years of being a patient,” Griffin shared.

Griffin’s mother Jennifer described how she and her husband Dave learned of Griffin’s diagnosis. During an 18-week ultrasound at Mass General Hospital (MGH), Griffin’s hand was covering his mouth, obscuring the image. Clinicians tried to get Griffin to move his hand, but were unsuccessful. They also noticed a white spot on Griffin’s heart.

“We were told the spot would only be concerning if it was in conjunction with a short femur bone or other abnormality. My obstetrician ordered a second ultrasound at 24 weeks to ease my mind about the white spot. That was when we learned Griffin would be born with a cleft lip and cleft palate,” Jennifer said.

The expectant parents were confused and devastated. They were referred to Michael Lewis, M.D., who practiced at both MGH and Shriners Children's Boston, to develop a care plan upon the baby’s arrival.

Griffin had cleft lip surgery at MGH when he was four months old and cleft palate surgery six months later. Dr. Lewis then asked the family to consider transferring to Shriners Children's Boston because he would be spending more time practicing there moving forward. The new parents wanted Griffin to continue seeing Dr. Lewis so they made the transition to Shriners Children's. Jennifer describes that moment as “the beginning of an unbelievable journey.”

Dr. Lewis retired a few years ago and Griffin started seeing Zachary Peacock, M.D., D.M.D., who performed bone graft surgery when Griffin was 10. Jennifer especially remembered how helpful and encouraging Dr. Peacock was throughout Griffin’s entire recovery.

As Griffin got older, his visits to Shriners Children's Boston became more routine. He had an annual clinic visit with the plastic surgeon, maxillofacial surgeon, and orthodontist. The majority of Griffin’s care became orthodontic as he got older. Griffin is scheduled to have jaw surgery next summer, which will be his final surgery.

“We feel part of the Shriners family, and this is a unique experience,” Jennifer and Griffin shared. They pointed out how helpful it is that treatment here is not dependent on money from patients’ families. “Shriners does not even charge for parking! Removing these worries enables families to focus on their child and their care and recovery,” they said.