Teen Mental Health Tips From Our Friends At MyTutor

Good mental health is as important to cultivate and monitor as our physical health. This is especially true for teens. Teenagers and young adults are at a critical time in their coming of age where the influences of the world may have a deep affect on their psyches and perceptions of the world. Cyberbullying, teasing, and just plain peer pressure can be too much to handle. Our friends across the pond at MyTutor have some mental health tips for parents and friends of teens. Click the image below or go to this link to read more about this impotent topic. 

Camp Cosmos and CCA Team Up For Holiday Fun Weekend, Friday, Dec. 11th & 12th

Are you ready for some holiday fun? ConnectMed and CCA has come up with a fun weekend to kick off the holiday season. Register by Wednesday, December 2nd to receive your activity pack for Saturday.

What's Happening? 

Click the image below, or go to https://bit.ly/cosmosfun to take part in December's ConnectMed and CCA's collaborative Camp Cosmos beginning on Friday, December 11th at 5:30 PM PST/7:30 PM CT with a virtual screening of "Wonder" starring Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, and Owen Wilson. 

Then on Saturday, December 12th join CCA for a Career Roundtable with Casey Deakins and friends as they discuss, vocation, education, and career paths. Click the image below to register. 

Finally, the career roundtable will be followed by more family fun at 10:30AM PST - 2:30PM PST with guest speaker, Peter Dankelson, and then followed by activities, trivia, a scavenger hunt and more. Be sure to register by December 2nd to receive your activity pack on time. 

Body Image, Self Esteem In Teens and Young Adults

 

Our friends across the pond at Freederm created a guide about Teens, Body Image, and Self-Esteem 
Please review it today as our teens and young adults are spending more time alone, online, and are distanced from friends. 

Share this far and wide as we feel this is a great resource for all. You can overcome these feelings of insecurity with the tips laid out in this piece. There is also a solid explanation of the various struggles that come along with puberty and getting older, too. 

Happy Reading!

Overview: The Dark Side of Social Media

We have a new overview to debut to celebrate #CAM2016. The focus is on The Dark Side of Social Media.

Thanks to a former colleague of Erica's, Dr. Pavica Sheldon of the University of Alabama in Huntsville, we are able to further explore the topic of social media this year.

At CCA, we work to bring you professional resources that cover topics relevant to the craniofacial community. "The Dark Side of Social Media" is an important topic to discuss with your children, relatives, and friends.

Social media is an incredible tool helping many people connect with one another for support and acceptance. However, it can also be a source of negative interactions, promote social isolation, distorted perception of self, and open users up to identity theft.

This overview helps you establish boundaries for your family by understanding and discussing the benefits and risks of social media.

Thank you, Dr. Sheldon, for lending your expertise and volunteering your time to CCA!

Ask the Doctor: Options for Teen's Forehead

CCA posts a monthly blog series called, "Ask the Doctor." You can submit your questions to Annie Reeves ([email protected]) and we will ask Dr. Earl Gage of Kids' Plastic Surgery in St. Louis to answer them. Thanks Dr. Gage for helping spread information and resources for our cranio families!

Ask the Doctor

Earl Gage, MD, Kids Plastic Surgery, MercyChildren’s Hospital
Ask The Doctor

Earl Gage, MD

Kids Plastic Surgery, Mercy Children’s Hospital – St Louis, MO

Question: My daughter had bicoronal craniosynostosis (no known syndromes) corrected at 3 mos of age. She has no protruding brow bone over the eye, and where her eyebrows lie is very tight almost like a band is constructing that part of her forehead. Her surgeons from UC Davis have moved out of state, so we have not had follow up in many years. She is currently 15. Is there anything we can do to normalize this area of her face? The concern is primarily cosmetic, although her eyes are at risk without the normal brow bone protection. Is dermal filler an option? What kind of doctor should we see?

Answer:  The problem that you describe sounds like the orbital rim and forehead sit too far back. This can be a result of inadequate advancement at the time of the original surgery. It can just as easily be the result of regression or relapse following a well-done procedure, especially if the soft tissue was tight following an aggressive advancement.

Most of the time, when the brow and forehead sit too far back and the eyes are exposed, surgical correction by re-advancement of the forehead and brow are needed to normalize appearance and protect the eyes. Most of the time, this can be accomplished by doing a similar surgery to the one she had in infancy. The tightness of the skin may pose some challenges in moving the forehead forward, but this is usually manageable.

There are other options that can camouflage problems with forehead shape and position, such as prosthetic custom implants, dermal fillers or fat grafting. With custom implants, however, you need to have soft, healthy soft tissue in the area in order to minimize risk of implant complications or implant exposure. When the skin is scarred and tight, the risk in placing an implant may be too high. With dermal fillers and fat grafting, you should not expect to have dramatic changes. These modalities are really best when trying to smooth or improve small contour irregularities.

I cannot give you a specific recommendation for your daughter since I have not seen her and do not have a clear picture of her forehead position or the soft tissue challenges that may be present. However, based on your description, it sounds like surgery may be required to get the improvement she wants. You should see a craniofacial plastic surgeon in your area to get an in-person assessment and come up with a personalized plan for your daughter.

New Must-Read Book for Teens

Ride High Pineapple Beats the Bully and Faces Up

CCA is excited to announce a new book in our collection of recommended reading. 

Children’s author, Jenny Woolsey, announces the release of her debut middle grade novel, Ride High Pineapple.

This gutsy contemporary realism novel, is a must read for any child or teenager. Ride High Pineapple is written through the honest eyes of a teenager born with a rare craniofacial syndrome, Crouzon Syndrome. She also suffers from severe anxiety. Written as a journal, the story deals with critical childhood issues: bullying, difference, mental illness, friendship ups and downs, and young love. It also shows how one can find self-empowerment through sports. 

CCA loves this book because it goes along with our educational initiatives in that it is yet another text that is relatable, enjoyable, and features a young person with a facial difference. Offering an additional perspective to Wonder, Ride High Pineapple captures the raw emotions that teen girl, Issy Burgess, experiences. The book presents another lovable character who struggles with bullying at school. Plus, since it's from an Australian author, you'll pick up lots of cool new Aussie jargon! 

From the author:

Adolescence is a tough gig, but Issy Burgess has a few added challenges—facial difference, anxiety, and a relentless bully. Issy’s story of confronting her fears and working through her difficulties will inspire middle grade readers. Kudos to Jenny Woolsey for writing Ride High Pineapple. It ticks all the boxes: skateboarding, besties, and boys. And it’s chock-a-block full of hope, insight, and solid strategies for handling bullying and managing anxiety. A must for school libraries and school counsellors! -Alison Stegert, School Counsellor & Kidlit Author

About the Author

Jenny Woolsey is a Christian, teacher and blogger. She is an advocate for inclusion of disabled children, and for people living with facial differences and mental illnesses. She has a Diploma of Teaching (Primary), Bachelor of Education, Master of Education (Honours) and a Certificate of Creative Writing. Jenny lives in Queensland, Australia.  She writes from personal experience and aims to help children with their social and emotional wellbeing.

Ride High Pineapple is available on Amazon.com as a paperback and ebook.

Hannah and Danny Reunite for Prom

Check out this cool Prom Night Reunion for Hannah Twedt and Danny Pfeiffer, two friends who met Lentil at the CCA Orlando Retreat 2013.

Danny Pfeiffer and his mother Grace wrap up Danny's tuxedo for Saturday's prom at Red River High School on Friday, May 01, 2015, in Grand Forks, N.D. Pfeiffer have been diagnosed with a rare craniofacial syndrome and has traveled from Philadelphia to attend prom with his friend Hannah Twedt. (Logan Werlinger/Grand Forks Herald)

Hannah and Danny, you rocked prom! Thank you for sharing your exciting experience with us.

Standing Up to Cyberbullying

CCA wants to make the world a kinder place.

One way we accomplish that mission is to prevent and end bullying, in schools and online.

Unfortunately, many of our CCA Alums & Adults are familiar with bullying tactics and have been bullied by classmates, peers, and even adults. Today's post is a personal account of how CCA Adult Frederick Seitz handled a bullying situation. 

Stay tuned this week for informative, inspiring posts about living life beyond bullying. 

Together, we'll #EndCyberBullying through education, empathy, assertiveness, kindness, and courage.

Be Ruthless to #EndCyberBullying

by Frederick Seitz 

Little over four years ago, in the September of 2010, I bought my first car -- a 1999 Jeep Wrangler Sport. I saved up a lot of money from my birthdays, holidays, and special occasions over pretty much all my life up to that time. I was in my senior year of high school at the time. I was thrilled to show it off to my friends, classmates, and family. Little did I realize that only a week later, I would become a victim of cyber bullying on Facebook.

A female classmate wrote a Facebook post that didn't mention me by name directly but described attributes that people knew were only related to one person: ME. I don't remember her exact words but the post mocked my disabilities including my craniofacial difference, my deafness, and even my religious beliefs. It was clear to me that she was extremely ignorant of my true abilities and of the fact that deaf people can really do anything EXCEPT physically hear sounds. She mocked my ability to drive and went far to question why I even have a driver’s license.

Unfortunately for her and lucky for me, her post backfired completely on her.

Soon, dozens of comments from my classmates posted, all rallying behind me as they called her out for cyberbullying me. I remember reading the comments and I was surprised at how many people were defending me. That time was one of the times I learned who my real friends and allies were. The next morning after I learned of this harassing post, I brought a printed-out hardcopy of it to the principal’s office. It wasn't long before the word went around most of my other classmates about this disturbing incident. Shortly after this, I confronted this female classmate face-to-face and told her that I knew what she wrote about me.

What happened next proved what I suspected to be true: she claimed that she thought my deafness and my craniofacial difference would impair my ability to drive.

Honestly, her excuses enraged me. How could she - how could anyone - believe this about me?

However, I used this event as an opportunity to set the record straight in front of my peers and to understand what motivated her actions.

I was proud of my ability to save money from hard work and a generous family, which I am fortunate to have, and I was insulted that she would publicly belittle me and assail my abilities, when I am clearly thriving in this world.

Whatever motivated her actions: envy, insecurity, or anger, I knew that her issues did not have to become mine. Responding to cyberbullying takes courage and empathy, assertiveness and ruthlessness.

To respond with ruthlessness means:

Do not show them that you're afraid, ever.

That's how bullies control you: fear. But beyond your fear, realize that two common reasons people bully are out of ignorance and for control. You can correct the ignorance through empathy and education and you can remain in control of the situation by choosing to be courageous and assertive. 

Rely on the people who come to your defense, too, for they are your true friends and allies. Remember that.

Forgive Your Bullies, and Forgive Yourself Too

Our second post in our #EndBullying series is a reblog from The Washington Post's Kiley Bense.

Bense takes a look at the tendency for the bullied to become bullies or participate in bullying, even while they are victims themselves. The complexity of this issue makes it hard to recommend specific courses of action because the solutions truly lie in all of us understanding ourselves better so we can respond effectively to each situation and model assertive behavior.

Below are excerpts from Bense's article, but you have to read the whole post ... and see the photos.

As a kid, I was bullied. But I bullied, too. Does that make me a victim or an aggressor?
by Kiley Bense

As a child, I’d been a fearless know-it-all. In my teen years, I sank into myself. I became defensive and prickly, slinging sarcasm and insults to fend off teasing. Insecurity chewed away my confidence. I began to expect that any interaction with a peer was doomed to end in humiliation.

***

More than the tales we tell about others, the stories we tell about ourselves are only half-truths. Sometimes we’re trying to protect ourselves; sometimes we discard memories (purposefully or not) that don’t fit the person we’ve become or would like to be. But there are always traces of editing and rearranging, the fingerprints of time and interpretation.

***

I can’t deny that there’s pleasure in feeling fellowship with a group bonded against a common enemy, however opaque your reasons for that aggression may be. The fact is that human beings relish a witch hunt. We love a mob scene. We can’t wait to lob our frustrations at figureheads.

Most kids, like most people, aren’t ringleaders; they’re just swept up in the clamor and pull of the crowd. They are afraid that if they protest they will become the target instead. Middle schools, full of the vulnerable and shame-faced, are ruled by this fear, and so once was I.

***

The world isn’t neatly divided into bullies and the bullied; all victims conceal sins, and all villains carry sorrows and scars. You won’t be able to avoid being both, though you don’t have to be both in equal measure. You aren’t defined by the gap-toothed oddball that you used to be, no more than the classmates who tattooed those words on your brain space are defined by the rude face they turned on you.

Forgive your bullies, and you forgive yourself, too.

---
Check out the full article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/01/27/as-a-kid-i-was-bullied-but-i-bullied-too-does-that-make-me-a-victim-or-an-aggressor/

#surgeryproblems - Memes

This week, we're featuring stories about surgery on the blog ... with a twist! Check back each day for a new post. 

In the spirit of April Fool's Day, the CCA Alums & Adults 

created some funny #surgeryproblems memes to share. 

Tweet with us and share your own! You can make free memes here.

Remember to keep it kind, fun, and positive.

Our goal is to flood social media with positivity and humor!

Rose Seitz got us started with a funny story from one of her son's surgeries:
Once when Freddie was in recovery and we came back to see him, the nurse said, “Wow he’s really having a nice sleep... we were calling his name and calling his name but he’s so out that he’s not responding.”  
I said, “Well that’s probably because he’s deaf!” 
- Rose Seitz, CCA Mom

and then we kept going...

And, finally... Joe Brooks, the mastermind behind the meme idea:

Paint a #BluePinky to End Bullying

During the month of March, CCA encourages our friends and followers to snap a picture of your nails painted with a blue pinky. We'll share the best every Monday on Twitter and Facebook for ‪#‎ManiMonday‬.

The blue pinky campaign is sponsored by Secret and their goal is to end bullying. We support this mission! Jump on board by posting your photos of blue pinkies... let's show them how diverse our hands and hearts are!

Make sure you tag Children's Craniofacial Association in your pictures so that we can share them!

Happy painting!