Our little miracle
Published: February 14, 2006
Little Kerr Peach is just four months old but has already undergone surgery to correct a cleft lip and missing palate.
The condition affects one in every 600 babies but parents Gary and Sharon had no idea there was a problem with their fifth son.
Mum Sharon said: “If there are parents out there who are going to go through the same thing, I’d say don’t worry. It’s only cosmetic. Kerr’s a happy boy now. And he loves to smile.”
Dad Gary said: “They’re all number one, our children.”
Kerr’s parents decided to let cameras capture his first operation two weeks ago for the ITV programme Yorkhill.
So what if he’s different. He’s still number one
DAD Gary Peach, 40, told the Telegraph of the moment his fifth son Kerr was born:
“It was a normal pregnancy. We were looking forward to a healthy little boy but when I saw his face I thought, ‘My God, my wife’s going to be devastated when she sees him’.”
Kerr, now four months old, was born with a cleft lip and no palate in the roof of his mouth.
It is a condition that affects one in every 600 babies, leaving them disfigured. It can also cause breathing and eating problems.
Gary, of Cumberland Walk, Greenock, said the moment he first saw his new son at Paisley’s Royal Alexandria Hospital was difficult.
He said: “This little man came out and we didn’t know what to say. I went home that night kind of numb. I put the other kids to bed and I lay there with my thoughts.”
“But the next morning I was dying to see him. I thought, ‘So what? He’s different, but he’s still number one.’ They’re all number one, our children.”
Mum Sharon, 32, said: “I was totally devastated. We didn’t know it was coming. If I’d known it might have been easier.”
Kerr underwent his first round of corrective surgery two weeks ago. He will have to have more as he grows up.
Sharon and Gary decided to take the brave step of allowing a TV crew to film Kerr’s operation. The footage was shown on ITV’s Yorkhill programme last night. Sharon says they want as many people as possible to know about the condition, and the couple think other parents need to know not to lose hope.
She said: “It’s not something I’d heard of before. But if there are other parents out there who are going to go through the same thing, I’d say ‘Don’t worry’. It’s only cosmetic. Kerr’s happy. He’s fine now. He was miserable before, but he’s a happy boy now. He’s trying to talk and make sounds. And he loves to smile.”
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