Duck Dynasty stars Jase and Missy Robertson's daughter Mia is recovering in the ICU after major surgery to help fix her cleft lip and palate. They're hoping it will be her last surgery.

On Instagram, the Robertsons have shared many of the details of their 17-year-old daughter's medical needs. She's had 12 previous surgeries or procedures, but kept a positive attitude and even found ways to pay it forward through it all. This most recent surgery is called a distraction.

At the Mia Moo Fund Instagram page, a post from Jan. 31 describes what happened to her on Wednesday (March 17).

"Dr. Genecov will break both upper and lower jaws on each side in order for them to meet in the middle," it reads. "Since Mia's upper jaw stopped growing some years ago, this surgery is in hopes that her teeth and jaws will function normally in terms of chewing and speaking. She will also look very different once she is healed." The Mia Moo Fund is a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness and funds for treatments of cleft lip and palates worldwide. Mia helps lead the mission.

On his Instagram page, Jase Robertson shared an update with a photo taken before the six-hour surgery. Doctors, he says, feel really good about the procedure and hopes are high.

"This girl is one of the bravest people I know," he wrote as she was undergoing the procedure. "She asks the nurses and doctors questions, tells them funny stories and talks about the food she wants to eat. She never shows fear. She’s an amazing kid!"

The Robertsons' story is told in detail at the Mia Moo website. They learned she'd have a cleft lip and palate before she was born and did their best to prepare the family. Her first surgery came at just three months of age, and several more followed in the following months. At age five she underwent a second lip correction surgery. At 11 she underwent major bone graft surgery. Her upper jaw didn't grow at the same rate as her lower jaw due to scar tissue from those early surgeries, so repeated procedures were required.

A three-picture gallery seen below shows some of those early pictures. On her own Instagram page, Mia is just another high schooler, but one with an important, life-changing mission.

See Duck Dynasty Star Jep Robertson's Louisiana Estate: 

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