Jace + Missy Robertson’s Daughter Mia Pauses College Classes for 15th Surgery
Mia Robertson, the youngest of Duck Dynasty stars Jace and Missy Robertson's three children, was supposed to be starting her sophomore year of college this week. But instead, she's headed to the hospital to undergo her 15th cleft lip and palate surgery.
"I wish I could say that I get used to my surgeries, but I never do," Mia wrote on social media on Sunday (Aug. 20), the day before her surgery was scheduled to take place.
"Tomorrow was supposed to be my first day of my sophomore year of college, but the Lord had other plans," she continues. "Instead of waking up in my new dorm room, headed to my new classes, I'll be headed into a month of pain and weakness."
As she contemplated the setback, Mia underscored how her faith is helping her through the challenge.
"It's times like these where I am reminded that God is above, beneath, before and behind me. He's got me. Why should I ever doubt that he doesn't?" she writes. "He's already protected me from 14 surgeries, what's one more?"
Mia was born in 2003 with a bilateral cleft lip and palate, and she underwent her first surgery to correct the cleft lip when she was just three months old. Over the next months and years, more surgeries ensued to to correct her palate, lips and nasal passages, followed by bone graft surgeries to her jaw.
The Robertsons have documented Mia's journey as part of their Mia Moo Fund, an organization the family established in 2014 to provide financial support for other children born with cleft lip and palate.
Missy also frequently shares social media updates about her daughter's cleft lip and palate journey; the most recent of those was earlier this summer, when Mia's care team determined that she would need to have a more serious jaw correction procedure than the family had initially hoped.
Ahead of her 15th surgery, Missy offered up her thoughts in an Instagram tribute to her daughter.
"She's had this surgery twice before, and because of some unseen complications from the last one, it has to be done again," Missy writes. "Please pray for it to be successful, for the skilled hands of Dr. Law and for that oh-so-important anesthesia cocktail that will make or break her immediate recovery.
"We are so so blessed to be only 4 1/2 hours away from one of the most skilled surgeons in this industry and one of the kindest men we've ever met," she continued. "We have every confidence in the International Craniofacial Institute and thank God that he led us to them 20 year ago!"