Groundbreaking Cleft Palate Surgery Changes 20-Year-Old Patient’s Life

David Bufkin, 20, of Sun City, Arizona, was born with a cleft palate didn’t speak until almost the age of three. Courtesy of Banner Health

A boy who was born with a cleft palate didn’t speak until almost the age of 3. He always hoped that surgery could improve his quality of life, and finally, after almost two decades, a life-changing operation has achieved exactly that.

“I’m overly satisfied with the results,” David Bufkin, 20, said in a Banner Health news release. “It was a long road worth walking!”