Ella’s Story: A Journey of Strength, Love and Empowerment

Seven years ago, Ania walked into her doctor’s office expecting a routine 21-week prenatal checkup.

Instead, she left with a diagnosis that would change her life forever: Her baby girl, Ella, would be born with a cleft lip and cleft palate.

Ania was led into a quiet room, and that’s when the doctor explained that the baby she was carrying would be born with a cleft lip and palate. Then came questions and details Ania never expected, including some that were unthinkable. She was stunned as she absorbed all the information coming at her. “The words felt so heavy, so unfamiliar. I never really heard much about cleft conditions before, and suddenly I was drowning in medical terms I didn’t understand,” she said. “I waited so long for this baby – and I was sure I was keeping the pregnancy!”

Walking back to work, she crossed a bridge – one she had crossed countless times before – but that day, it felt different. “It was just a nightmare,” Ania said. “I went home, started Googling and that was the worst thing I could have done. I was a vegetable on the couch – and I’m never like that.” The fear was paralyzing. The unknown, unbearable. And through it all, one thought echoed in Ania’s mind: She had always dreamed of nursing her baby – and now she was terrified she might not be able to.

But after a weekend of tears and silence, something shifted. “I said to myself, ‘She’s going to be OK. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure she’s happy. I have to be strong for her.’” And with that, Ania began to rise.

She started planning for Ella’s care before she was even born. One of the first clinicians she met was a surgeon at Shriners Children’s. “He put a big smile on my face,” Ania said. “He showed us pictures of beautiful, healthy babies and said, ‘This is what your daughter will look like. She will be a healthy, beautiful and smart girl.'” That was exactly what Ania needed to hear.

When Ella was born, Ania spent the entire night just trying to figure out how to hold Ella so she could breastfeed her. “We were both so tired – her tiny body curled against mine, both of us learning together. But then, finally, we found it. In that moment she didn't want to let go, and neither did I,” Ania said.