Forward. It’s a path 5-year-old Madelyn Traschel has been on from the start. Affected by spina bifida, she has been managing regular doctor visits, surgeries and therapy sessions to keep her moving in the only direction she knows – forward. We first shared Madelyn’s story a few years ago at the opening of the Akron […]
New leg braces help 10-year-old with spina bifida maintain an active life
Labor of Love is a blog started by Megs Pollock in 2011. Megs began sharing her experience as a first-time mom to son, Jordan, who was diagnosed with spina bifida before he was born. It’s been 4 years since we last got an update from the Pollock family, so we thought it was time to […]
Shilla (growth) rods allow young scoliosis patient to continue to grow
At the tender age of 24 hours old, Isaac Lauper underwent his very first surgery at Akron Children’s Hospital. Born with spina bifida myelomeningocele (a neural tube defect where the spine is exposed), Isaacs’s spine needed to be surgically closed after birth. Due to many other conditions that are secondary to his spina bifida, Isaac […]
Hannah takes it all in stride
At 2 days old, Hannah Jabbour had surgery to close the half dollar-sized opening in the base of her spine, but only time would tell how spina bifida would impact her everyday life. “While in the NICU, Hannah also needed a shunt placed to drain the spinal fluid from her skull due to her hydrocephalus,” said Hilary, […]
Dream becomes reality with new handicapped-accessible home
This will definitely be a summer for the books. After spending the summer building our handicapped-accessible home, we’re sharing it with others during the Medina Parade of Homes.
Counting down to cast-off day
I’m not sure what I had expected after Jordan’s hip surgery, but it’s been a crazy ride. We tried to prepare the house for Jordan’s homecoming. I researched on different blogs and looked for suggestions on Pinterest. I watched videos about how to care for him to maybe get some insight for what to expect and where our journey would take us next.