When Darby, and her husband Brad, went in for a routine check-up at their family care provider in Fort Dodge, Iowa, the doctors diagnosed baby Muller with spina bifida, a birth defect that occurs when a section of the baby’s spinal column does not form properly and a gap appears.
Recently, Elliot, diagnosed with spina bifida before he was born, set one very important goal for himself: he wanted to ride the bus to school. But there was one thing in his way. He needed to learn to climb the bus stairs by himself.
When Darby and Brad went in for a routine check-up at their family care provider in Fort Dodge, Iowa, the doctors diagnosed baby Muller with spina bifida.
We met Declyn in December 2019 when he was 16 months old. When Declyn’s mom was still pregnant, she found out that she would need to undergo fetal surgery at only 24 weeks in order to repair an opening in Declyn’s spine. Now, Declyn is 3 years old and his smile lights up a room. Let's catch up!
The Children's Minnesota multidisciplinary clinic provides remarkable care to patients from across the upper Midwest from infancy through young adulthood.
When Declyn was diagnosed with spina bifida before birth, his prognosis was not good. Doctors told his parents that he would likely struggle to walk on his own, may need a shunt to treat hydrocephalus, and could have major problems with bladder and bowel function. Today, Declyn is 16 months old and the happiest baby you’ll ever meet. He’s learning to stand and crawl, and hopefully soon, he will be walking.
A new fetal surgery gives Clara an opportunity to thrive.
Spina bifida (SPY-na BI-fi-da), a Latin term that means “split spine,” is a birth defect that occurs when a section of the baby’s spinal column does not form properly. Spina bifida treatment is available at Midwest Fetal Care Center.
