A Strong Connection With A Fish Wish

Every parent wants their babies to be born perfect -- with all ten fingers and all ten toes.

It didn't happen quite that way for brad and Julie Graham. But then they realized, with the help of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, that their children were better than perfect.

For all those children have been through and all they have become, they got their Fish Wish on Friday.

Claire, Aiden and Duncan Graham are strong and self-confident children. Some might look upon them as less than perfect. Claire and Aiden were born with cleft lip and palette -- and then there was Duncan.

"We just wanna be there to help,? explained Julie Graham.? We don't want more kids right now. We just wanna help with the feeding needs, 'cause it could be overwhelming."

As foster parents for children with cleft lip and palette, the Grahams fell in love with Duncan, and adopted him.

"Even my parents,? reflected Julie Graham. ?They?re like, 'Oooohhh, ya know? You've been dealt such a hard hand'. That's all we know. We don't know what it's like not to."

To date, the three children have had a total of 21 surgeries.

"They're doing great,? said Children?s Healthcare of Atlanta reconstructive surgeon Dr. Fernando Burstein. ?They?re right on track. And, and we'll keep doing little things over the next few years as they grow up."

The children were thrilled to get the behind-the-scenes treatment as part of their Fish Wish.

There's a natural connection between children and the Georgia Aquarium. But what Claire, Aiden and Duncan saw as part of their Fish Wish, made that connection even stronger.

"We can give them hugs and kisses? said Julie Graham. "But we don't know what they're going through. And these three kids will have each other. So, they'll understand each other."

To help explain to her son Aiden's schoolmates what was wrong with his lip, Julie Graham wrote a book called "A Special Smile". Now, she said, Aiden's classmates are his advocates.

Julie and Brad Graham raised their children to be self-confident and strong. It turns out, they're better than perfect.