Laryngeal Cleft Awareness Days

• Make sure to include your name and address as states want the requestor to be a resident.

• The date doesn’t matter and will vary from state to state. Pick a date that’s meaningful to you.

• Consider honoring a laryngeal cleft hero by selecting their birthday as the state’s awareness day.

• If you pick a date very far into the future, you may not get a response until closer to that date.

• Proclamation steps will vary by state.

• Though not required, it may help to have a personal connection that works in state government to help advocate on your behalf.

• Some states also offer a proclamation signing ceremony. 

• Understand that not all states will issue a proclamation for every request. All you can do is TRY!

1. Copy and paste this text when submitting a proclamation request to your state.

2. Replace the CAPITALIZED words with your state, hero name, governor’s name, and proposed awareness day date.

3. If you are not honoring a laryngeal cleft hero in the proclamation, simply remove the second paragraph.

WHEREAS, a laryngeal cleft is an abnormal opening in the airway that causes coughing, choking, swallowing, and breathing problems. This congenital anomaly is hidden in the voice box and is very difficult to diagnose. It is not a cleft lip, palate, or submucous cleft; and 

WHEREAS, individuals in the state of STATE NAME like HERO NAME were born with a laryngeal cleft and have courageously fought to overcome this condition; and

WHEREAS, there are four types of laryngeal clefts, with type one being the most mild and type four being the most severe and sometimes deadly; and 

WHEREAS, laryngeal clefts were once thought to affect one in every 10,000 to 20,000 births, experts now know mild clefts are much more common than originally thought. Studies now show up to 7.5 percent of children with chronic respiratory symptoms who undergo a rigid airway scope have a laryngeal cleft; and 

WHEREAS, this hidden airway cleft is mostly unknown by medical professionals and the general public, resulting in diagnosis delays of months or years, which causes health problems for the child and stress for their families. An undiagnosed or untreated laryngeal cleft often results in feeding difficulties, poor growth, chronic infections, dehydration, lung damage, developmental delays, and more; and 

WHEREAS, children with feeding problems or signs of aspiration should be referred to an ear, nose, and throat doctor experienced with laryngeal clefts for further evaluation; and 

WHEREAS, a laryngeal cleft needs to be diagnosed early and treated appropriately in order to prevent suffering and possibly death in affected children.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, NAME, Governor of the State of STATE NAME, do hereby proclaim DATE, to be Laryngeal Cleft Awareness Day in STATE NAME, and I encourage all STATE NAME citizens to recognize this special observance through acts of service and community celebrations.