>> So Connor was diagnosed at birth. He went right to the neonatal ICU. I don't think I
had time to even be sad, or be mad, or be happy, or anything. I just was moving at 90
miles an hour right from day one. He had an underdeveloped jaw. He was missing his eyelid.
He had skin tags on his face. You could tell that he was asymmetrical. One of the nurses
came over and she said, "Go to CHOP." Dr. Bartlett, oh my God, I can't say enough wonderful
things about him.
>> So Conner is a great kid. He has a condition called hemifacial macrosomia, where part of
his face doesn't grow. And in fact, he was missing part of his jaw. So Connor had a deficient
on one side that was very asymmetric. And we took a piece of his rib and grafted that
area. If you're lucky and if you get the right rib graft in at the right time, it may grow
normally. And Connor, in his case, it did.
>> He had the skin tags removed from his face. He had his eyelid repaired when he was about
8 months old. He was "lazy eye." So he had that surgery repair. He had a rib graft placed
to replace his missing jaw. He had a blood vessel graft placed in his check. And he had
his tongue repaired. Dr. Scott Bartlett, he's like our rock star. If I could have him on
a poster in my bedroom I would.
>> The team, they've been almost like a second family. They're just helping me get through all
these surgeries.
>> Diana Sweeny, she's the patient liaison, she just walks me through everything. If I
have a concern, a question, I mean, she loves Connor. Yeah, and you love Diana.
>> Yeah
>> Connor's been going to school ... we were fortunate enough though, we were in a very
small town, and there is about 75% are the same kids that he's been going to school with
since kindergarten, that we don't have to go every year with a new group of people that
we have to explain, you know, what Connor's condition is. You know, we did that for a
couple years in kindergarten, first grade, and gave his little speech and that was kind
of the end of it.
>> I play lacrosse in the spring, swim in the summer, and I play soccer in the fall.
But mainly I'll ride my bike around town with my friends. At CHOP it's nice to feel that
I'm not alone in the world. Like, I have multiple friends. I meet new people that have different
faces, different syndromes, and some kids, they might not have differences, but it's
nice to know that they still look up and respect those who do.
>> I've seen him in the times that he's been out talking to school groups about the value
of appearance, and not to judge people by their appearance. That's been satisfying to
see him blossom and grow into such an excellent human being.
>> I don't really feel different at all. Like when I look at myself in the mirror, I don't
really focus on the differences. I focus on what makes me alike from everyone else.
>> I told you, he's a pretty cool kid. He's pretty awesome. You know, everybody, you know,
dreams of having the perfect child. And I succeeded. I have a fabulous child. I'm proud
and impressed.
>> I'm also as proud of my mom as she is of me. To somehow manage to keep up with all
these surgeries, that requires to make me feel better. I honestly think that that's
probably the best gift a mother could possibly give. I'm going to cry.
>> I’m going to … I am going to cry