Home » Announcements. » Currently Reading:

Would You Like A Chance At Winning A Car?

November 9, 2008 Announcements. View Comments

That’s right. I have a way for you to win a brand new car. All you have to do is purchase a raffle ticket to benefit the Spina Bifida Association of America and you could win a brand new Lexus Hybrid SUV. For your chance to win a new car and help the families of children with Spina Bifida visit the Spina Bifida Association of America Website or follow the following link.

http://www.sba-resource.org/roast/raffle.php

Spina Bifida is the most common permanently disabling birth defect in the United States. It occurs when the spine of a baby fails to close in the first few months of pregnancy. The effects of Spina Bifida are different for each person and there is no known cause.

There are three types of Spina Bifida:

Occulta
Often called hidden Spina Bifida, the spinal cord and the nerves are usually normal and there is no opening on the back. In this relatively harmless form of Spina Bifida, there is a small defect or gap in a few of the small bones (vertebrae) that make up the spine.

There may be no motor or sensory impairments evident at birth. Subtle, progressive neurologic deterioration often becomes evident in later childhood or adulthood.

In many instances, Spina Bifida Occulta is so mild that there is no disturbance of spinal function at all. Occulta can be diagnosed at any age.

Meningocele
The protective coatings (meninges) come through the open part of the spine like a sac that is pushed out. Cerebrospinal fluid is in the sac and there is usually no nerve damage. Individuals may suffer minor disabilities. Additional problems can develop later in life.

Myelomeningocele
This form of Spina Bifida occurs when the meninges (protective covering of the spinal cord) and spinal nerves come through the open part of the spine. This is the most serious type of Spina Bifida, which causes nerve damage and more severe disabilities.

The economic and social costs associated with Spina Bifida – for both the affected individuals and their families – can be significant. The average total lifetime cost to society for each infant born with Spina Bifida is approximately $532,000 per child. This estimate is only an average and for many children the total cost may be well above $1 million. Estimated total annual medical care and surgical costs for persons with Spina Bifida in the United States exceed $200 million. Currently available statistics on the cost of Spina Bifida are estimates based on the average dollar in the mid-1980s. Therefore, due to inflationary increases over the past two decades, these cost statistics likely are higher.

SBA estimates that more than 70,000 people in the United States are living with this birth defect. However, this figure is conservative and is based on estimates from the SBA Professional Advisory Council. It is anticipated that the number may be higher as there are 54 million people living with disabilities in the United States.

In the United States, there are 65 million women of childbearing age and each one is potentially at risk of having a pregnancy affected by Spina Bifida. Birth defects can happen in any family. In fact, 95 percent of neural tube defects (NTDs) occur in women with no personal or family history of NTDs. However, according to the CDC, some risk factors are known:

* A previous NTD-affected pregnancy increases a woman’s chance to have another NTD-affected pregnancy by approximately 20 times;
* Maternal insulin-dependent diabetes;
* Use of certain anti-seizure medication (Valproic acid/Depakene, and Carbamazapine/Tegretol);
* Medically diagnosed obesity;
* High temperatures in early pregnancy (i.e., prolonged fevers and hot tub use);
* Race/ethnicity (NTDs are more common among white women than black women and more common among Hispanic women than non-Hispanic women); and
* Lower socio-economic status.

Studies have shown that if all women who could become pregnant were to take a multivitamin with the B-vitamin folic acid, the risk of neural tube defects could be reduced by up to 70%. Folic acid is a water soluble B-vitamin that helps build healthy cells. Because it is water soluble, folic acid does not stay in the body for very long, so women need to take it every day to help reduce the risk of neural tube defects (NTD).

Since half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, women of childbearing age-even if they are not currently planning to get pregnant-should take 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid every day to reduce their risk of having a child with Spina Bifida. In addition, women who have experienced a pregnancy affected by a NTD like Spina Bifida need a larger prescription dose of 4000 (mcg) of folic acid daily when planning a pregnancy.

Birth defects like Spina Bifida occur in 7 out of every 10,000 live births in the United States. Birth certificate data from the National Vital Statistics System, a component of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), indicate a drop in the rate of Spina Bifida; however, Spina Bifida is considered to be underreported on birth certificates so the drop in the rate could be due to lack of reporting, not an actual decrease in occurrence. In addition, a number of Spina Bifida pregnancies are voluntarily terminated and we cannot be certain how many pregnancies are terminated versus carried to term.

These are only a few facts about Spina Bifida. Learn more by visiting the Spina Bifida Association Website.

In the event you aren’t already aware, our daughter was born July 24th with a level L2 Myelomeningocele defect that was repaired about 24 hours after her birth. At that time she also had a Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt implanted as a result of Hydrocephalus caused by a Arnold-Chiari II Malformation. She is now 15 weeks old and getting stronger.

We are lucky. Many children are born with lesions much worse that our little girl’s. We expect that she will walk – likely with orthopedic insoles in her shoes but one day she will walk. Most children with her type of defect do not. We thank GOD every day for the miracle that He has given us. Defect or not, in our opinion she is perfect.

Mrs. Gribbit and I urge you to support the Spina Bifida Association.

Thank You.

Bookmark and Share