Jan 05, 2015
By: Coleen A. Boyle, PhD, MSHyg
Did you know that birth defects affect one in every 33 babies born in the United States? Those aren’t just numbers—they represent real babies and families.
Elley was born with spina bifida, a birth defect of the spinal cord. She relies on a wheelchair to move around. Her mom, Maryanne, says, “Yes, heads turn when a wheelchair rolls into a room, but she uses that attention to force people to talk to her. She is a social butterfly!”
Elley’s family encourages her to do everything that anyone her age can do. Maryanne says, “We have to make alterations here and there to maneuver her around, but we try to treat her as normal as possible and not make her feel as if she is a burden in any way! We take family vacations and get her out of the house as much as possible. She loves to go to church, and we try to include her in all the activities with her age group She is extremely brave and although she has times of anxiety about the unknowns that may be facing her, she presses on with a courageous heart.”
Read More: Recognizing Young Children Living with Birth DefectsElley was born with spina bifida, a birth defect of the spinal cord. She relies on a wheelchair to move around. Her mom, Maryanne, says, “Yes, heads turn when a wheelchair rolls into a room, but she uses that attention to force people to talk to her. She is a social butterfly!”
Elley’s family encourages her to do everything that anyone her age can do. Maryanne says, “We have to make alterations here and there to maneuver her around, but we try to treat her as normal as possible and not make her feel as if she is a burden in any way! We take family vacations and get her out of the house as much as possible. She loves to go to church, and we try to include her in all the activities with her age group She is extremely brave and although she has times of anxiety about the unknowns that may be facing her, she presses on with a courageous heart.”
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