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Trump will name more conservative judges. He may even pick a majority of the Supreme Court; Both sides react as Missouri reverses near-total abortion ban Literacy initiative to implement 250 new early-education activations in PA.

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President Biden asks Americans to turn down the temperature, House Speaker Mike Johnson promises an aggressive first 100 day agenda and Democratic governors vow to push back on Trump's plan for mass deportations.

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Texas women travel some of the longest distances for abortion care, Californians the shortest, rural living comes with mixed blessings for veterans, an ancient technique could curtail climate-change wildfires, and escape divisive politics on World Kindness Day.

Transforming lives through spina bifida treatment in Columbus

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Wednesday, October 23, 2024   

October marks Spina Bifida Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about a birth defect that affects one in 2,000 births in the United States, every year. Ohioans, like the Badenhop family, have faced this medical challenge head-on when their daughter Lexi was diagnosed with spina bifida in the womb, during a 20-week ultrasound. For Brittany, Lexi's mom, the journey from diagnosis to surgery was filled with anxiety, but it also led to life-saving interventions at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, one of only a handful of hospitals equipped to offer fetal surgery for spina bifida.

"When people meet or see someone with spina bifida, that knowing how to ask questions about it, knowing how to approach the subject in a way that's informational then it's going to be easier to understand and sympathize with that person," she said.

Spina bifida occurs when the spine and spinal cord don't form properly. Though outcomes vary, access to advanced medical care can improve the quality of life for those affected. Still, not all families are able to pursue fetal surgery, and many rely on lifelong care for complications that can affect the brain, bladder and mobility.

Nationwide Children's Hospital is at the forefront of addressing this condition. Fetal and Neonatal Surgeon Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye stresses the importance of early intervention and the role of advanced surgical techniques in improving outcomes for spina bifida patients.

"There is hope. In the past, when the diagnosis of spina bifida was made before birth, most families were devastated and with fetal surgery there isn't a guarantee that everything's going to be perfect and okay. But now, we can improve the outcomes for those families and for those children at birth," Olutoye explained.

Spina Bifida Awareness Month is a reminder of the strides in medical research and treatment that offer hope to families.


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