Well for those who don’t know me, I was born with a cleft palate, that cause speaking issues and eating issues. I had to have a pretty big surgery when I was four. All the muscles in the roof of my mouth were not connected and the hanging palate in the back of my throat was split. I went through a 3 hour surgery and the cleft palate was fixed but there was still going to be issues of my breath escaping up into my nose rather than into my mouth. If some of you have seen me speak you may notice I have to work really hard when saying “s” or “p” or “g” sounds.
When PepsiCo asked me to be on the cover and told me it was for operation smile I asked what that was. They said it was to raise as much money as possible, hopefully 1 million dollars, to be able to send special doctors all over the world fixing cleft palates for children that could not afford medical help. I thought oh my God, YES!!!
What most people don’t know about cleft palates are that they can cause eating issues and many children can actually die of malnutrition if they cannot eat and swallow. It is way more than fixing a facial deformity. It is very sad to know that surgeries can improve a child’s chances for a normal and healthy life but so many families cannot afford it.
I am thrilled to help use my platform to help this cause and these children. Please buy my potato chip (Salt and Vinegar or Feisty Habanero) and tag me in a picture on my Instagram or Facebook (colletteys cookies) with you holding the bag with my smile up to your face. If you don’t know if its me, look on the back of the bag. I am there with my story.
And if you can’t find my bags, buy any bags with the smile! With 1 million dollars they can do over 4500 surgeries!
-Collette