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The Heart-Warming Story Of One Photograph: An Image Of A Baby With A Cleft Lip, Making Her Story Go Viral
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The Heart-Warming Story Of One Photograph: An Image Of A Baby With A Cleft Lip, Making Her Story Go Viral

Interview With Artist The Heart-Warming Story Of One Photograph: An Image Of A Baby With A Cleft Lip, Making Her Story Go ViralMeet Sutton, A Baby Born With A Cleft Lip Whose Story Went Viral After Her Photograph Was Posted On Social MediaPhoto Capturing Baby Girl From Texas Born With Cleft Lip And Palate Went Viral On Social Media, Inspiring Thousands Of People Around The WorldMeet Sutton, A Baby Born With A Cleft Lip Whose Story Went Viral And Encouraged Thousands Of People Around The World That Have A Similar ConditionThe Heart-Warming Story Of One Photograph: A Photographer Took A Photo Of A Baby With A Cleft Lip, Making Her Story Go Viral And Inspire Thousands Of People Around The World Who Have A Similar ConditionA Photograph Of A Baby With A Cleft Lip Inspired Thousands Of People Around The World Who Have A Similar ConditionMeet Sutton, A Baby From Texas Born With A Cleft Lip Whose Story Went Viral And Inspired People Around The WorldA Photo Of A Baby Girl From Texas Born With Cleft Lip And Palate Went Viral And Inspired Thousands Of People With The Same Condition Who Share Their Stories On Social MediaBaby Sutton From Texas Was Born With With A Cleft Lip And Her Story Went Viral, Inspiring Thousands Of People Around The WorldThis Baby Girl From Texas Was Born With Cleft Lip And Palate, Her Photograph Went Viral On Social Media, Inspiring People Around The World Who Have A Similar Condition
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Baby Sutton, born in Texas with a cleft lip and palate, has captured the hearts of thousands of people after her parents booked a newborn photoshoot with photographer Shannon Morton. When Morton shared a photo of the 9-week-old girl on her Facebook page, featuring Sutton sleeping soundly while adorned in a cream sash and matching flower headband, the image unexpectedly went viral. As a result, Sutton’s parents created a Facebook page called “My Cleft Cutie” to share updates about their daughter’s life and offer support to others in the community who may be experiencing similar situations.

Despite the challenges Sutton faces due to her condition, she has already undergone one surgery to repair her cleft lip and nose, with more procedures still to come. Her journey has inspired many people to come together and offer comfort to others in need. For those interested in learning more about Sutton’s story and following her progress, the “My Cleft Cutie” Facebook page is a great place to start.

More info: Facebook | Facebook

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    This is the first photograph of baby Sutton, posted by photographer Shannon Morton, that immediately went viral on Facebook

    Bored Panda has reached out to Shannon Morton, the artist behind the viral photo of baby Sutton, to find out more about this heartwarming story. First, we wanted to know how Courtney and Gavin Gardner, the parents of this little girl, decided to choose Morton for their photographer. Shannon said: “I originally met Sutton’s parents at church. I knew about their story before Sutton was born. I was able to meet with them before she was born in order to prepare for her session and think through how best to care for her during the picture-taking process.”

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    Image credits: Shannon Morton Photography

    Baby Sutton was born in Texas with a cleft lip and palate

    Image credits: Shannon Morton Photography

    Shannon posted the first photo of the 9-week-old girl with the caption: “So. Many. Smiley babies in the studio recently! This is sweet Sutton, the cutest little redhead!”

    The Heart-Warming Story Of One Photograph: An Image Of A Baby With A Cleft Lip, Making Her Story Go Viral

    Then, we were interested in the photoshoot day. Presumably, newborn photoshoots may be challenging and stressful for everybody – the photographer, parents, and most of all – the baby. We were curious if that was the case with Gardner’s family. Shannon told us: “It was actually incredibly tender. She was a sweet and sleepy baby. Sutton slept for most of her session. In those moments when she needed to eat, Sutton’s mom would so gently and lovingly lift Sutton’s head and feed her from a bottle. My assistant and I worked to provide the most beautiful pictures of Sutton in order to honor her and her parents!”

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    Image credits: Shannon Morton Photography

    By now the post has received 726k likes and 6.8k comments from the Facebook community

    The Heart-Warming Story Of One Photograph: An Image Of A Baby With A Cleft Lip, Making Her Story Go Viral

    Image credits: Shannon Morton Photography

    Neither Morton nor Sutton’s parents, Courtney and Gavin Gardner, expected such a big response from people online

    The Heart-Warming Story Of One Photograph: An Image Of A Baby With A Cleft Lip, Making Her Story Go Viral

    Next, we asked about her initial reaction to her post going viral overnight. Shannon said: “I aim to post a picture or two of every baby who comes to my studio for pictures. It was Sutton’s turn, but I definitely did not expect the response she got. Both her parents and I were so wonderfully surprised as the likes and comments came flooding in. The warm reception and words of love and encouragement came in a steady stream for almost a week. It was so beautiful to see how baby Sutton drew people together!”

    Image credits: My Cleft Cutie

    A huge interest within the community encouraged the Gardners to create the “My Cleft Cutie” Facebook page

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    Image credits: My Cleft Cutie

    “My Cleft Cutie” is a place where the parents share updates about their daughter’s life

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    Lastly, asked for more insights about that special photo shoot, Shannon told us: “After 12+ years of professionally photographing newborns, I can tell when a baby will smile. I can’t and don’t guarantee that I’ll be able to capture a smile because a baby may not smile or it may be too quick for me to catch or I’m not ready with my camera. What is so sweet about Sutton is that she smiled three separate times, and we were able to capture all three for her parents!! What a gift from God! I think that’s one of the details that makes that first picture of her so special – her sweet smile!”

    Image credits: My Cleft Cutie

    Each post’s comment section gathers hundreds of people sharing their personal stories and experiences with a cleft lip and palate

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    Image credits: My Cleft Cutie

    The page is a place where the whole community offers comfort to others in similar situations

    Image credits: My Cleft Cutie

    Little Sutton has already gone through the first surgery to repair her cleft lip and her nose

    Image credits: My Cleft Cutie

    At the moment, the baby girl is still recovering after her first surgery, but her mother shared there are more procedures coming with time

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    Image credits: My Cleft Cutie

    Despite this very challenging beginning in life, Sutton is still a very happy baby and her cute face is cheering up everyone around her

    Image credits: My Cleft Cutie

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    Hidrėlėy

    Hidrėlėy

    Author, Pro member

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    Fascinated by music, movies and sitcoms, I'm passionate about social media and can't live without the internet, especially for all the cute dog and cat pictures out there. I wish the day had about 40 hours to be able to do everything I want.

    Read less »
    Hidrėlėy

    Hidrėlėy

    Author, Pro member

    Fascinated by music, movies and sitcoms, I'm passionate about social media and can't live without the internet, especially for all the cute dog and cat pictures out there. I wish the day had about 40 hours to be able to do everything I want.

    Gabriela Zagórska

    Gabriela Zagórska

    Moderator, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    My name is Gabriela, and I’m a Community Manager at Bored Panda. In real life, it means that every day, together with my team, I ensure that all the posts submitted by our creative pandas display their work in the best possible way. I'm always on the lookout for new artists who would like to join our community and share their content with a wide audience. In addition to that, I keep my finger on the community pulse and supervise its activity, ensuring that any problems our members experience on our website are promptly resolved. Before joining the Bored Panda team, I worked as a freelancer, offering my creative services to people around the world—starting with graphic design, photography, and finally videos. Now, I pursue these activities only as a hobby, capturing moments with my cats and documenting new places I visit during my travels.

    Read less »

    Gabriela Zagórska

    Gabriela Zagórska

    Moderator, BoredPanda staff

    My name is Gabriela, and I’m a Community Manager at Bored Panda. In real life, it means that every day, together with my team, I ensure that all the posts submitted by our creative pandas display their work in the best possible way. I'm always on the lookout for new artists who would like to join our community and share their content with a wide audience. In addition to that, I keep my finger on the community pulse and supervise its activity, ensuring that any problems our members experience on our website are promptly resolved. Before joining the Bored Panda team, I worked as a freelancer, offering my creative services to people around the world—starting with graphic design, photography, and finally videos. Now, I pursue these activities only as a hobby, capturing moments with my cats and documenting new places I visit during my travels.

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