Shiloh has the face of an angel

By Maureen Gilmer, Riley Children’s Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org

Shiloh McDowell could be a model. The dark-haired baby with the cherubic face, deep brown eyes and sweet smile is the son of Curtis and Shelby McDowell, who adopted him shortly after he was born last November.

The couple came from Illinois to meet Shiloh at Riley Hospital for Children after he was born with cleft lip and palate. Riley held special meaning for them because Shelby was a Riley cleft baby herself more than two decades ago.

They have returned to Riley many times since Shiloh’s birth, seeking care from the Cleft and Craniofacial Anomalies Program, the state’s largest and oldest such program.

The most common birth defects affecting the face are cleft lip and palate, occurring in about 1 in 600 newborns in the U.S. each year. Cleft lip is a separation of the lip, and cleft palate is an opening in the roof of the mouth. Both require surgery to repair.

In April, Shiloh underwent his cleft lip repair, performed by Dr. Emma Cordes, and later this month, he will be evaluated by the team for his palate repair, likely to take place in November, near his first birthday.

“He is doing really well,” Shelby said of her son, who is 9 months old. “He is sleeping through the night, trying to crawl, super happy and super peaceful.”

He recovered quickly from his lip repair and barely has a scar, she added.

The palate repair might be a little trickier, but Shelby said the Riley team has been supportive every step of the way.

“We are blessed that everything has gone so smoothly. There is such a level of care and compassion at Riley that we really admire,” she said.

“It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s been really helpful to have people who are calm and collected and truly there to help in whatever way they can.”

Previous stories:

Cleft lip and palate don’t scare these adoptive parents - Curtis and Shelby McDowell didn’t hesitate when they learned there was a newborn with medical needs available for adoption. Shelby was born with the same condition and was treated at Riley.