Shriners

        Our visit at Shriner's Children's Hospital last week went very well.  We felt very at ease from the moment we got there and knew that this was a good choice for us. They had a huge waiting room area that was designed just for kids.  Nintendo game consoles set up, a marble ramp, and big windows looking out over the city.  They even had those fancy pagers that vibrate when its your turn, like they have at restaurants.  Everyone was soo nice, almost too nice!  There were several other children and teens with clefts there as well.  I caught myself starring a few times.  I couldn't help but to look at how great these other kids looked, hoping for the same outcome for River.
         The doctor did a very good job explaining everything to us.  The new way of fixing clefts vs. the old way.  Part of the old way was using the Latham device we choice not to use.  This just confirmed that we made a good choice to put off the surgery and get a  second opinion.  For me it was another lesson in always follow your gut feeling.  My gut feeling was that I did not want a device pinned into his gums and mouth causing him pain.  We were also told that we could achieve the same results of the Latham device by using tape to pull his cleft closer together.  This takes longer and it will be a little longer before he has his lip fixed now, but it is a better less painful option. The special cleft tape we are using is not covered and Shriners does not carry it.  This is going to cost us almost $100 a month. They also assured us that even without the tape or device, he will still get a good repair. We go back to see them in May, and will talk about surgery dates then.
          Before we had even seen the doctor and the nurse was doing our intake she asked us "Are you here for a second opinion or transferring care?" I instantly said "Transferring care".  It just felt right.

I was very surprised that everyone kept asking us where we were from.  They explained to us that many people from all over the world come to Shriner's, they even have a "Shriner's Bus" that comes down from Canada to bring patients.  In fact there was another cleft child there that same day from Utah.  We feel very Lucky to have a Shriner's here in Portland.  For those of you who are not familiar with Shriner's it is up by OHSU.  Below is some info on Shriner's in general. Shriner's Portland is supported by 8 different Shrine temples across the west USA and Canada.  Each Shriners hospital is supported by different Temple's.  The great thing about the Shriner's program is that children can stay in their system until they are 21, they also cover a few tings that our insurance does not.    
The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, also commonly known as Shriners and abbreviated A.A.O.N.M.S., established in 1870, is an appendant body to Freemasonry, based in the United States. In 2010, the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, as well as Shriners North America, changed its name to Shriners International, now covering nearly 200 temples (chapters) across North America, South America, Europe and Southeast Asia. ^[1] The organization is best known for the Shriners Hospitals for Children it administers and the red fezzes that members wear. The organization is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.^[2] Shriners International describes itself as a fraternity based on fun, fellowship and the Masonic principles of brotherly love, relief and truth. There are approximately 340,000 members from 194 temples (chapters) in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Republic of Panama, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Europe and Australia. On July 6, 2011, Shriners International commissioned Emirat Shriners of Heidelberg, Germany, as its 194th temple, and took the first steps toward forming a new temple in Mindanao, Philippines. ^[3
Despite its theme, the Shrine is not connected to Islam. It is a men's fraternity rather than a religion or religious group. Its only religious requirement is indirect: all Shriners must be Masons, and petitioners to Freemasonry must profess a belief in a Supreme Being. To further minimize confusion with religion, the use of the word "Temple" to describe Shriners' buildings has been replaced by "Shrine Center," although individual local chapters are still called "Temples."