Life with a Cleft lip and palate: Stacey Bone

In this conversation, Stacey Bone shares her personal journey living with a unilateral cleft lip and palate, discussing the complexities of surgeries, the challenges faced during childhood, and the importance of mental health. She emphasises the need for advocacy and education to reduce bullying and promote understanding of visible differences. Stacey also highlights her work with charities and her personal photography project aimed at changing perceptions of individuals with clefts.Please consider following/subscribing to help me build a platform to better advocate for people with visible differences.Episode links:https://www.staceybonephotography.co.ukhttps://www.smiletrain.org.ukhttp://www.changingfaces.org.ukTimestamps:00:00 - Introduction and Background03:08 - Understanding Cleft Lip and Palate05:58 - Surgical Interventions and Their Complexities08:43 - Personal Experiences with Bullying and School Life11:59 - Mental Health and Coping Mechanisms17:19 - Advocacy and Raising Awareness18:51 - Overcoming Humiliation and Building Confidence19:29 - The Importance of Early Education on Differences22:19 - Legal Protections and Social Acceptance24:25 - Visible Differences in Media Representation28:12 - The Dark Reality of Clefts Worldwide33:07 - Changing Smiles: A Photography Project for Awareness37:38 - Hope for the Future: Changing PerceptionsSocial media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lifewithadifferencepodcast/TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@lifewithadifferenceLinkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-collinson/Blog: https://www.lifewithadifference.info/Please get in touch if I can help in any way