Every smile has a story. Meet the Dodd family!
Say hello to Martinique residents, Wesley and Anna Dodd, the proud parents of two precious kids—Watts (3) and baby Landry (3 months)—and Stroll Lake Caroline's July Featured Family. Wesley’s parents, Wes and Elaine Dodd, also live in Lake Caroline!
Anna and Wesley's story started in the Singles Group at Broadmoor Baptist Church. Fast forward five years of marriage later, and the couple now balances careers, parenthood, and a whole lot of love—all right here in the Madison area where they both grew up. Anna graduated from Madison Central High School and received a B.S. in Elementary Education from Mississippi State, while Wesley went to Madison Ridgeland Academy and graduated from Ole Miss with a B.S. in Exercise Science. He went on to receive a masters degree from Southern Miss in MPH-Policy and Administration. Anna, a kindergarten teacher at Madison Crossing Elementary, and Wesley, the administrator at Region 8 Mental Health Madison, keep busy schedules but always make time for what matters most: family, faith, and friends.
In 2022, their son Watts entered the world at UMMC with a cleft lip and palate, beginning a courageous journey that has touched many hearts. Though the Dodds were filled with uncertainty at first, they leaned on their faith, each other, and a strong community network. With the help of incredible medical professionals like Dr. Jared Moffett and Dr. Ian Hoppe, Watts received top-tier care—right here in Mississippi. Wesley told Stroll Lake Caroline, "We learned about Watts's condition before he was born, which brought on a wave of anxiety and fear. At the time, we knew very little about clefts or the local resources available to support families like ours. Cleft lip and palate require multiple surgeries to repair the gap in the mouth. When Watts was about a month old, Dr. Jared Moffett and his team fitted him with a nasoalveolar mold (NAM) to help close the gap in his lip before surgery. At five months old, Dr. Ian Hoppe and his team performed his lip reconstruction surgery, followed by his palate repair at 11 months. Today, Watts is now three years old and thriving—doing many things we were once told he might struggle with. From the day he was born, he has shared his infectious smile with the world. While he may need more surgeries in the future, we are confident and at peace knowing he has access to the very best care right here in our own community."
July is National Cleft & Craniofacial Awareness & Prevention Month. Cleft lips and palates affect about 1 in 700 children born globally and around 1 in 1,000 in the U.S. each year. Our journey with Watts has taught us two important lessons. First, having a strong support system is essential. Our faith is central to our lives, and God has walked with us every step of the way. Along with our faith, the love and encouragement from our family, church family, and Life Group have been invaluable. Second, we are incredibly fortunate to have world-class medical care here in Mississippi. The Morris Clinic for Cleft and Craniofacial Research and Innovation at UMMC is one of the top facilities in the nation, and we are proud to have such a remarkable clinic in our community. We’re grateful for the opportunity to share a small part of Watts’ story. We've received so much help along the way, and we hope to continue raising awareness about clefts while highlighting the amazing resources available to families. Every smile has a story—this is ours."
When the Dodds aren’t cheering on the Ole Miss Rebels or the Chicago Cubs, you’ll likely find them cruising around the neighborhood on their golf cart, enjoying an evening swim, or taking a boat out on the lake. Favorite family vacation spots include Disney World and Fort Walton Beach. Around the dinner table, shrimp pasta is a crowd favorite. And while Anna gets her crime-solving fix from Law & Order: SVU, Wesley loves to dive into a good documentary (no matter the topic!).
In the greater community, Anna helps care for little ones in the 3-year-old nursery at Broadmoor Baptist, and
Wesley is involved with the Sports Ministry at Broadmoor Baptist Church by playing softball. He also is on the Prison Ministry Team at Broadmoor where he serves at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility and Mississippi Correctional Institute for Women. The Dodds also serve together in a Life Group at the church.
Thank you to Anna and Wesley for sharing your inspiring story with Stroll Lake Caroline!