A Broken System Fixed my Cleft Palate

The day a baby is born is supposed to be the most joyful day of a parent’s life. After hours of labor the baby is cleaned, wrapped in a blanket, and placed on the mother’s chest as the nurses congratulate the happy parents on the incredible feat of bringing a child into the world. However, the day I was born looked nothing like this. The nurse who cleaned me up noticed something in the top of my mouth – or rather, she noticed a lack of something in the top of my mouth – that was cause for concern. The soft palate in the roof of my mouth was not fully developed, leaving a hole into my nose.

My parents recount this day as one of the worst days of their lives; no parent is prepared for the unexpected news that their child may need to have multiple surgeries to fix an unanticipated birth defect. However, even with the stress, the tears, and the sleepless nights, my parents still knew they had the advantage of having quality health insurance, access to a premier children’s hospital, and a much-needed support system to help them make it through the difficult time. I grew up understanding that because of the circumstances I was born into, I was able to get the healthcare I needed. Today, I recognize that many people do not have this same privilege.

I decided to become a nurse because I wanted to help people just as the nurses helped my family in our most vulnerable state. However, I knew that to make a lasting impact I would need to address the elephant in the healthcare room: quality healthcare is only available for those who are in the right place at the right time; for others it is practically nonexistent. This desire to make a lasting change in healthcare led me to the Ballard Center for Social Impact  and, ultimately, to work as an editor for the organization’s social issues publication, Ballard Brief.

 When I set out to improve healthcare, I imagined myself altering major systems daily. However, through writing at Ballard Brief I discovered impact looked different than I previously imagined. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, I co-wrote a Brief about low vaccination rates in the United States. As I researched the issue, I learned about a variety of factors influencing low immunization rates ranging from a lack of individual desire to receive vaccinations to an inadequate health infrastructure that makes timely administration difficult. The United States struggled to combat all these factors with the Covid vaccine rollout.

Inspired by this, I volunteered to administer vaccinations at the local health department. I spent many unpaid hours giving shots because I knew I was doing my part to address the issues I was writing about in my Brief. As I served the community, I saw a potential future where all deserving individuals are given equal access to health services. I am continually inspired to work hard to create this future for my global community.