BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A health care journey has come full circle at Oishei Children's Hospital.
Doctor Jessica Canallatos was born with a cleft lip and palate. She said she has had 10-12 surgeries to repair her cleft lip and palate. Most of those surgeries were done by Dr. Robert Perry, Oishei's Pediatric Plastic Surgery Medical Director.
Now, she is a prosthodontist at Oishei and has dedicated her career to caring for those who are experiencing the same thing she did.
A cleft lip and palate occurs when the tissue making up the upper lip does not join completely before birth, leaving an opening.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in 1,600 babies in the U.S. are born with a cleft palate each year.
Treatment typically involves surgery, which is where Oishei's Craniofacial Center comes in. It is home to trained professionals and is nationally recognized as an American cleft-palate craniofacial association-approved team.
As a child, Dr. Canallatos was a patient for many years. 7 News' Pheben Kassahun met with her at Oishei, where she shared her full circle story, alongside the surgeon and nurse who inspired her career.
"I was about 3 months old when I had my first procedure and that was to repair my cleft lip," Dr. Canallatos explained. "I don't remember that surgery but my parents tell me about it. I had to wear these little arm restraints on my arms to prevent me from touching my face. My mom would have to feed me through a little medicine cup because I couldn't take a bottle, so she would have to drip the food in my mouth with a little medicine cup."
"I saw her from birth and got to know her and got to know her parents. I have had a number of patients who have had cleft lip and palate. She was one of the ones that I followed through multiple surgical procedures," Dr. Perry shared.
He essentially watched her grow up. Dr. Perry said having Dr. Canallatos come back and join their team has been a true blessing.
"To be a treating physician and taking care of her, and then having her come back and be a colleague, helping me take care of other patients, with the tremendous expertise that she has, has been joyous," he said.
They plan procedures together, work with patients together and interact very closely.
"It enables us to actually do more work, be more capable and then take on more difficult procedures than we would be able to do without her," Dr. Perry added.
There are more than 3,500 practicing prosthodontists and prosthodontic residents in the U.S., according to the American Dental Association. For comparison, there are 202,304 professionally active dentists in the U.S., according to ADA. Not every team has a prosthodontist.
OCH Craniofacial Center Patient Care Coordinator Jan Rockwood added, "I also took care of her in the operating room. I was the circulating nurse in her surgeries because I worked with Dr. Perry prior to this position."
"Anytime I would visit in the Cranial Facial Clinic, Jan would come in. She had the best energy. She still does. She is just a light for these patients and for me," Dr. Canallatos recalled as she teared up. "Dr. Perry, when he's working, it's like he's creating a work of art. He would stare at your face, move things around with his hands. You can just tell he's so good at what he does, and I liked that he just seemed like he knew what to do, and I wanted to be a provider who knew what to do."
Her post-surgery follow-ups happened from birth, to 5 years old and as recent as 29 years of age.
"It's very fresh in my mind. I'm very close to being a patient, so it actually helps me with treating these patients because I was just there," Dr. Canallatos said with a smile.
Now, as a prosthodontist, which is a dentist who specializes in treating complex dental and facial matters, Dr. Canallatos shared that she has her own lab where she can make her own prosthetics and has a wonderful medical assistant and a great team who support her.
While she said her journey from patient to provider inspired her to give back, Rockwood said her new colleague is who inspired them.
"She is the inspiration to us to continue to care for these children effectively with cleft lip and palate and other cranial facial concerns. She just makes us better in so many ways," Rockwood shared.
