THE proud godparents of two Great Sankey brothers who were born with a cleft lip are taking on a mammoth cycle to raise funds and awareness of the condition.
Laura MacLean and Mark Tolman, from Locking Stumps, plan to cover 350km in three days between Southport and Hornsea.
In May, Naomi and Nathan Grannell asked Laura and Mark to be godparents to their three sons, Lucas, Isaac and Jacob Cheetham-Grannell.
Two-year-old Isaac was born with a cleft lip and he has since had lip repair surgery.
Jacob, who is nine months old, was born with both a cleft lip and palate.
Jacob underwent lip repair surgery in January had his palate repaired last week at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
He is currently recovering at home with his family
Laura and Mark will be cycling in aid of CLAPA, a charity that supports children who are born with a cleft - be it a lip, palate, or combination - they provide invaluable support for not only the child but also the affected family.
In early pregnancy, different parts of a baby’s face develop separately and then join together.
If some parts do not join properly, the baby is born with a cleft.
A cleft lip and/or palate is the most common craniofacial abnormality which babies can be born with.
A cleft lip can range from a small notch in the coloured part of the lip to a complete separation of the upper lip which can extend up and into the nose.
This can affect one or both sides of the mouth and can be complete (meaning the cleft goes up into the nose) or incomplete.
A cleft lip can also affect the gum where the teeth come through.
Again, this can range from a small notch to a complete separation of the gum into two parts.
A cleft palate is a gap in the roof of the mouth.
Laura said: “Having the honour of being asked to be their godparents, we will undertake the journey to raise, not only money, but also awareness surrounding clefts and their impact.
“To show how much we love and adore them we decided to take on this difficult task for the charity.”
The cycle will take place on July 24 and you can donate here www.justgiving.com/fundraising/laura-mark-tolmac
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