Editorial: A mother’s perseverance, courage

Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005 | 8:01 a.m.

Debbie Oliver had plenty on her plate as the mother of six children, one of whom struggled with a physical deformity.

Her 18-year-old daughter Erin Scott was born with a cleft palate, lacking the roof of her mouth and an upper lip. And Oliver's first thoughts were of how to protect her child from the world.

Instead, Oliver turned the fears she had for her daughter into the courage to help Erin and others who struggle with craniofacial abnormalities. Oliver created Cleft Advocate Inc., a nonprofit group.

She started with a small Internet site that grew into a full-blown organization that is affiliated with the national nonprofit group About Face USA. Her Web site, cleftadvocate.org, receives about 26,000 hits a month.

From the Cleft Advocate headquarters located in her North Las Vegas home, Oliver has offered thousands of families emotional support and tips on such topics as navigating the tangled paperwork of health insurance companies. She even provides special baby bottles for infants whose mouths are deformed.

Two years ago Oliver testified before Congress in favor of a bill that would have required health insurers to cover surgeries for craniofacial deformities. The bill never made it to the floor, but that doesn't diminish the efforts of this brave, determined mother.

We admire Southern Nevadans such as Oliver, who conquer their personal challenges and improve the quality of life in their communities along the way.