Baby Diagnosed with Spina Bifida

You probably know that my Beth is pregnant with her 3rd girl!!! You may not know that the baby was diagnosed with Spina Bifida a few weeks ago.

The last few weeks have been an emotional roller coaster for Beth, Tony and their girls as they have tried to wrap their minds around this diagnosis.

The original prognosis was not good. The day she was diagnosed, the doctors told them the baby might never walk and that they didn't see a connection between the right and left sides of her brain. The doctors even suggested aborting the baby, which was really hard for Beth and Tony to hear. But Beth and Tony knew that wasn't the right option and they decided to have hope.

Thankfully, the outlook got better! They were referred to a neurosurgeon who said the baby has all the proper connections in her brain. The doctor was confident that dispite a few challenges, like needing surgery on her feet as an infant and a delay in learning how to walk, their baby could thrive!

They also discovered that Beth is a perfect candidate for in utero surgery. The surgery will increase the baby's chances of being able to walk completely unassisted by 50% and will decrease the likelihood that she would need to have a permanent shunt placed after birth (for the rest of her life) to help drain excess fluid in the brain.

Beth is scheduled for surgery on the 5th of July. Please keep her and the baby in your prayers.

After the surgery, Beth will likely be on bed rest until a scheduled c-section. Being out of work for this unexpected extended season will place a tremendous financial burden on their family.

I am sharing this with you in hopes that you may be able to contribute to helping their family get through this challenging time. Any financial contribution would help them and would be so greatly appreciated. We are so grateful for our family and friends. Please don't hesitate to give if you feel led and are able. Please consider sharing this with your neighbors and friends if you are not in a financial position to donate.

I know that with our help and with God's blessings Beth, Tony and their family will have all they need to get by.

Thank you!

God bless!