Born Without a Face

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Treacher-Collins Syndrome is devastating to newborns, and no example is more heartbreaking than the Treacher-Collins Syndrome Juliana contracted. Twenty-one-month-old Juliana Wetmore was born with what may be the worst case of Treacher Collins Syndrome ever recorded. At birth she had no upper jaw, no cheek bones and no eye sockets. She also was missing the corner of her ear.

Twenty-one-month-old Juliana Wetmore was born with what may be the worst case of Treacher Collins syndrome ever recorded. At birth she had no upper jaw, no cheek bones and no eye sockets. She also was missing the corner of her ear.

Some facts about her amazing story:

• Edward Treacher Collins was a British ophthalmologist who described the syndrome that now bears his name.
  
  
• Treacher Collins is a genetic defect that affects 1 in 10,000 births. Some cases are mild, while others are more severe (Juliana's is likely the most severe case in medical history).
  
  
• Juliana's parents were aware that their baby's ultrasounds showed some abnormality, but it was thought to be only a cleft palate.
  
  
• Juliana’s case is called a spontaneous mutation. The only thing that it affects is her head shape, eyes, mouth, ears and nose.
  
  
• Juliana has an older sister who does not have the genetic defect that affected Juliana.
  
  
• Aside from her face, Juliana is a perfectly normal child; there is nothing to stop her from living a long, fruitful life.
  
  
• Juliana has undergone a host of procedures to create a face so that she can eat and communicate. But if she’s ever to have a normal functioning face, she has a lifetime of complex surgical procedures ahead of her.