Rebekah
Here is what Nicole says about Spina Bifida:
October is Spina Bifida Awareness month.
Rebekah is a bouncy, talkative, happy little girl who has never let anything stop her. What's so different about Bekah? She has Spina Bifida.
Spina Bifida is a neural tube defect that happens in the first month of pregnancy when the spinal column doesn't close completely.
The effects of Spina Bifida are different for every person. Up to 90 percent of children with the worst form of Spina Bifida have hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain) and must have surgery to insert a “shunt” that helps drain the fluid. The shunt stays in place for the lifetime of the person. Other conditions include full or partial paralysis, bladder and bowel control difficulties, learning disabilities, depression, latex allergy, and social issues.
Thanks to new medical treatments and technology, most people born with Spina Bifida can expect to live a normal life. People with Spina Bifida have many special challenges because of their birth defect, but their condition does not define who they are. People with Spina Bifida have careers, get married, and have children just like people who do not have Spina Bifida.
As a parent of a child with Spina Bifida I cannot put into words how blessed I feel that the Lord brought her into our lives. That He would feel me worthy to be the mother of one of his special children is humbling and I thank Him daily for the blessing he has bestowed me.
Thanks so much for your help!!
