Snyder Family Cleft and Craniofacial Center

09/08/2026

This summer, the Snyder Family Cleft and Craniofacial Clinic had the pleasure of welcoming medical student Lucas Garcia as a shadowing student. We were truly honored to be part of his learning journey and incredibly touched by the thoughtful essay he shared about his experience with our team.

Essay by Lucas Garcia:

Over the past few months, I had the incredible opportunity to experience a side of Healthcare that I had never previously been exposed to. Throughout the summer, I had the privilege of participating in the Snyder Family Cleft and Craniofacial Clinic each week, where I was able to observe first hand the care provided to patients with cleft and craniofacial conditions.

During my time in the clinic, I had the opportunity to learn from an incredible multidisciplinary team. Seeing professionals from Medicine, Surgery, Dentistry, Speech-Language Pathology, Psychology, and Care Coordination work together showed me how many different specialties can play a role in a patient’s care. More importantly, I was able to see how collaboration between these specialties allows each patient to receive comprehensive and individualized care.

I would especially like to thank:

Dr. Christopher Henry DMD, MS— Pediatric Orthodontist
Dr. John Sarandria MD — Pediatrician
Dr. Sarah Fernandez MD — Plastic Surgeon
Dr. Stephanie Reeder DMD, MD — Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon
Paige Bolen, MS, CCC-SLP — Speech-Language Pathologist
Dr. Conner Witty, DDS — Plastics Fellow
Dr. Shana Boyle, Ph.D. — Psychologist

I would also like to thank the clinic coordinators, Deana Jeffries, Kim Hood, Catherine Swanson, CCC-SLP, CCC-A, and Meagan O’Connor, RN, for everything they do to help coordinate the many different aspects of patient care and for helping make this experience possible.

I am incredibly appreciative of everyone who took the time to welcome me into the clinic, answer my questions, and allow me to learn from their experiences.

One of the most meaningful parts of this experience was having the opportunity to interact with patients at so many different stages of their care. From seeing newborns only a few days old beginning their journey to watching other patients reach the end of years of treatment, I was able to see the lasting relationships that develop between patients, their families, and their care teams. Seeing the impact this team has throughout each stage of a patient’s life was incredibly rewarding and gave me an even greater appreciation for this area of healthcare.

I am extremely grateful to the entire Snyder Family Cleft and Craniofacial Clinic team for allowing me to be a part of the clinic this summer. This experience gave me a perspective on medicine that I could never have gained in a classroom, and it is one that I will carry with me as I continue my journey toward becoming a physician.

09/02/2026

09/01/2026

One of our cleft families is facing a difficult time and needs our support. Please take a moment to read their story below. If you're able, consider making a donation and sharing the link to help spread the word. Every contribution makes a difference.

Ricki is organizing this fundraiser for Tyanna Shenault-Mata, lovingly known to… Ricki Graves needs your support for Help Tyanna Mata Rebuild After House Fire

08/10/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HN4EuCNSM/?mibextid=wwXIfr

What if it is no accident or coincidence that you have been given the child you have?

I know I wasn’t quite the baby you imagined.

My arrival may have taken you into a world you never expected, cleft teams, feeding equipment, surgeries, waiting rooms, decisions and language you never thought you would need to understand.

And perhaps, for a while, you wondered how you were going to do all of this.

But what if I came to show you something?

What if I came to loosen your grip on everything you thought life was supposed to look like?

What if I came to ask you to question what you had been taught about beauty, perfection, difference and what makes a human being whole?

What if my face was never the problem?

What if some of the beliefs surrounding it were?

Children like me can be cycle breakers.

We can arrive into families and invite something different.

You can repeat what the world has taught you about difference.. or you can question it.

You can spend my childhood teaching me that my face is something to overcome, or you can teach me, from the beginning, that I was never less than anything simply because I arrived differently.

And while you are shaping me, I will be shaping you too.

I may call you towards courage you didn’t know you had. Towards deeper compassion. Towards a different relationship with uncertainty.

I may even ask you to heal parts of yourself that existed long before I arrived.

Because parenting was never simply about what you would teach me.

It was always going to be about what we would awaken in one another.

So perhaps instead of only asking,

“Why did this happen to my baby?”

We might sometimes dare to ask,

“What might this child be here to show me?”

What if your family is exactly the family this incredible soul has chosen?

What then?

Maybe this isn’t the parenting experience you imagined. But perhaps it becomes something far more expansive.

And maybe one day you realise that while you were wondering how you were going to guide your child through having a cleft…they were quietly changing the way you saw the world. 🤍

What then? ❤️

08/07/2026

Today from 10am-2pm. Spread the word, spread the LOVE! 🥰❤️🤗

08/01/2026

JSO Safety Fair event today. Bring the kiddos if you’re looking for something to do. Shouldn’t be too hot as it’s inside the parking garage and 1st floor of avenues mall
🥰

07/30/2026

Back to School Give-aways this weekend

07/24/2026

INFORMATION ABOUT PARKING TOMORROW NIGHT: You can reach Friendship Fountain during the Museum of Science and History (MOSH) demolition by using the pedestrian walkway under the Main Street Bridge or the sidewalk next to the old museum building. Free parking is available underneath the Acosta Bridge. Park for free in the lot under the Acosta Bridge. Follow the fenced pedestrian paths leading from the Acosta Bridge area, the sidewalk by the old museum, or the walkway running under the Main Street Bridge. No public cars are allowed past the fenced entrance on Museum Circle; vehicle access is restricted to workers only. See you tomorrow😀

07/22/2026

Join the fun at Friendship Fountain Saturday at 6:00 p.m. RSVP at 904-580-4272.

Friendship Fountain Drone Flyover.Located in St. Johns River Park,...

07/21/2026

UPDATE: There will be a face painter and balloon animals!!!!! Looking for a great way to connect with others? Join us on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at 6:00 PM at Friendship Fountain in Downtown Jacksonville for an inspiring evening of friendship, support, and community.
We hope to see you there! Please RSVP by calling or texting 904-580-4272.