BY JASON COHEN
Each year, between 15-20
children are born with cleft
lips in the NYC Health + Hospitals
system — three to fi ve of
those children are born at Jacobi
Hospital.
According to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention,
one in every 1,600
babies is born with a cleft lip
and it is the second most common
birth defect in the United
States. A cleft lip is a condition,
by birth, with the opening
or split in the upper lip
and roof of the mouth or both,
which occurs when the facial
features do not develop completely
during the pregnancy.
Jacobi recently announced
that nine years after her initial
surgery at their facility,
Vivian Wong, a patient born
with a cleft lip, now has full
use of her jaw.
“These surgeries really
changed my lifestyle,” said the
16-year-old Wong, who attends
high school in the Bronx. “I
couldn’t eat, I had diffi culty
breathing, and these procedures
resulted in a signifi cant
improvement in my life.”
As a child who was constantly
growing, the treatment
for this condition required
Wong, of Flushing, to
endure numerous surgeries.
First, her cleft lip and cleft
soft palate needed to be surgically
closed. After this, her
jaw needed to be realigned,
which required a bone graft
where bone was taken from
her hip and placed into her
jaw. Then, a surgery of her nasal
passageway, done in conjunction
with Jacobi’s Plastic
Surgery Department, helped
to improve her breathing.
“Children are still growing
as are their faces,” said
Dr. Timothy Levine, director
of Jacobi’s Congenital Craniofacial
Care Center. “So, for
Vivian and all the children
we treat, we need to wait until
they have fully grown in
order to undertake major surgery
SUMMONS
(Child Neglect Proceeding)
Docket No. NN-06932-35/2021 WEBINARS PRESENTS
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, DEC.26 31, 2021-JAN. 6, 2022 BTR
to reposition their jaws.
Otherwise, we could compromise
their ability to eat, speak
or their appearance.”
Levine, who has been in
the fi eld since 2013, said focusing
on cranial facial issues
has always been important to
him. All craniofacial doctors
are certifi ed orthodontists.
“The reason I wanted to
be an orthodontist is to deal
with the most complicated
cases that require some type
of treatment or surgery,” he
said.
According to Levine, children
born with a cleft lip don’t
just have physical issues, but
emotional ones as well. Knowing
they don’t look like the average
kid can be a heavy burden
on their self-esteem, he
said.
For Levine, 40, helping
people like Wong transform
their appearance is quite a rewarding
experience. He has
seen how much of a difference
the surgeries have made in
Vivian Wong, who was born with a cleft lip, now has full use of her jaw.
Photo courtesy Jacobi
her life and countless others.
Craniofacial doctors fi rst
know a baby will be born with
a cleft lip when viewing images
in the mother’s womb.
Once born, minor procedures
can begin and like Wong,
around age 7 or 8 more intense
surgeries occur. Levine met
Wong in 2012 when she was 8,
and a year later she was having
her fi rst major surgery
at Jacobi. From 2014-2020 she
was constantly in treatment
and underwent many procedures.
“I think she understood
what she was going through,”
Levine said. “She always had
a very clear head about what
she wanted to do. Now she’s a
young woman and you probably
wouldn’t even know she
had surgery.”
Jacobi surgeons help
young woman smile
FAMILY COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
COUNTY OF THE BRONX
---------------------------------------------------------------
In the Matter of
THE GARCIA CHILDREN
a Proceeding under
Article 10 of the Family Court Act
ISMAEL GARCIA
Respondent(s)
---------------------------------------------------------------
NOTICE: PLACEMENT OF YOUR CHILD IN FOSTER CARE MAY RESULT IN YOUR LOSS OF YOUR
RIGHTS TO YOUR CHILD. IF YOUR CHILD STAYS IN FOSTER CARE FOR 15 OF THE MOST RECENT
22 MONTHS, THE AGENCY MAY BE REQUIRED BY LAW TO FILE A PETITION TO TERMINATE
YOUR PARENTAL RIGHTS AND TO COMMIT GUARDIANSHIP AND CUSTODY OF YOUR CHILD TO
THE AGENCY FOR THE PURPOSES OF ADOPTION. IN SOME CASES, THE AGENCY MAY FILE
BEFORE THE END OF THE 15-MONTH PERIOD. IF SEVERE OR REPEATED CHILD ABUSE IS
PROVEN BY CLEAR AND CONVINCING EVIDENCE, THIS FINDING MAY CONSTITUTE THE BASIS
TO TERMINATE YOUR PARENTAL RIGHTS AND TO COMMIT GUARDIANSHIP AND CUSTODY OF
YOUR CHILD TO THE AGENCY FOR THE PURPOSES OF ADOPTION.
IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK TO THE ABOVE-NAMED
RESPONDENT(S) WHO RESIDE(S) OR IS FOUND AT:
LKA
252 Robinson Avenue, #1
Bronx, New York 10465
And to: ISMAEL GARCIA: Biological Father/PLR
A Petition under Article 10 of the Family Court Act having been filed with this Court, and annexed hereto
YOU AND EACH OF YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to appear before the Honorable Cynthia Lopez
in virtual Court at, 900 Sheridan Avenue, Bronx, New York, on JANUARY 4, 2022, VIRTUAL COURT
Part 8 Virtual Courtroom: https://notify.nycourts.gov/meet/0vvpb2 Or call 347-378-4143 Conference
ID: 173 206 941# at 09:30 A.M. o’clock in the afternoon of that day to answer the petition and to be dealt
with in accordance with Article 10 of the Family Court Act. You are permitted to call in on DECEMBER 14,
2021, at the above-number to participate in the court hearing.
On your failure to appear as herein directed, a warrant may be issued for your arrest.
Date: 11/10/2021 Stephen Byrne__
Clerk of the Court
FURTHER NOTICE: Family Court Act §154(c) provides that petitions brought pursuant to Articles 4,5,6,8
and 10 of the Family Court Act, in which an order of protection is sought or in which a violation of an order
of protection is alleged, may be served outside the State of New York upon a Respondent who is not a
resident or domiciliary of the State of New York. If no other grounds for obtaining personal jurisdiction over
the Respondent exist aside from the application of this provision, the exercise of personal jurisdiction over
the respondent is limited to the issue of the request for, or alleged violation of, the order of protection.
Where the Respondent has been served with this summons and petition and does not appear, the Family
Court may proceed to a hearing with respect to issuance or enforcement of the order of protection.
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