David Lynch is a father of a son with Poland anomaly from Jackson, Mississippi. His son was born in 2017 with a smaller, webbed left hand and no left pectoral muscle. The condition had not been diagnosed or even noticed before David and his wife met their son for the first time in the delivery room. It was not until several months later that they learned he had Poland anomaly.
His daughter was born in 2021. At his wife's eight-month checkup, her doctor flagged that their daughter had a protruding forehead. She was delivered early, and after many months of searching and visiting specialists, she was diagnosed with Muenke syndrome, a form of craniosynostosis requiring surgery.
Navigating both diagnoses, David saw firsthand how the absence of readily accessible information can make an already frightening situation worse. Finding the right care — what was available, where it was, and what it took to get there — required real effort. Some of it meant leaving Mississippi entirely.
David and his wife found the care their children needed. Poland Foundation exists to help other families do the same.
David can be reached at contact@polandfoundation.org.