'Duck Dynasty' Stars Missy and Jase Robertson Ask for Prayers as Daughter Undergoes Surgery
Missy and Jase Robertson's daughter Mia was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate and recently underwent her 16th surgery.
Duck Dynasty star Mia Robertson is on the mend. On Sunday, her parents Missy and Jase Robertson asked fans to keep their daughter in their prayers as they revealed Mia, 20, was set to undergo her sixteenth surgery Monday to repair her cleft palate.
"Just another night in a very familiar hotel room," Missy wrote in a July 28 Instagram post as she shared a photo of herself and Mia. "I don't say 'last' and I don't say 'minor' anymore, but I still ask for prayers. @miarobertson1 undergoes #16 tomorrow."
On her own account, Mia shared a photo of herself with her mother from the hospital to her Instagram Stories, writing, "sweet sixteenth surgery with my rockstar mom!" The 20-year-old added a prayer hands emoji, writing, "last one."
The Robertson family didn't share further details of the procedure, and while they haven't shared an update, Mia did return to Instagram Tuesday to wish a friend a happy birthday. The 20-year-old was surrounded in support by fans, who has sent her well-wishes on Missy's original post, where one person wrote, "Sixteen surgeries. Crazy!! Hugs, Love and Prayers." Another person commented, "Love and prayers to your beautiful girl and your family."
Mia is Jase and Missy's youngest child after Cole Robertson, 26, and Reed Robertson, 29. The proud parents welcomed Mia in 2003. She was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate and underwent her first surgery at just 3 months old. She has since undergone a total of 16 operations for lip correction, on her nasal passage, and a bone graft, among others. She underwent her 15th surgery in 2023. She and her parents have documented her journey through the Mia Moo Fund, which they established in 2014.
"Mia was born with a difficult challenge in her life. She has risen far above the expectations we had as parents," the family wrote on the site. "he now travels all over the country, speaking and singing to groups of people, encouraging them with her story of physical and emotional struggles. Watching how she deals with all of this in her life is difficult sometimes for us as parents, but she has become an inspiration to so many, including her daddy, her brothers and me. We couldn't be more proud of Mia."
According to the Mayo Clinic, a cleft lip and clef palate "are openings or splits in the upper lip, the roof of the mouth (palate) or both." They are among the most common birth defects, and "result when facial structures that are developing in an unborn baby don't close completely." Missy and Jace learned of their daughter's cleft lip and possible cleft palate at 31 weeks gestation "thanks to a 4-D ultrasound."
Through the Mia Moo Fund, the family hopes "to inform, inspire, and improve the quality of life for children born with cleft lip/palate. Here at the Mia Moo Fund, our desire is to make sure that each and every child born with a cleft lip or palate receives the best possible medical care, regardless of his or her financial situation."