Olivia Jackman was born in September with spina bifida, a type of neural tube birth defect. Spina bifida is a birth defect in which the vertebrae do not form completely around the spinal cord.
Spina bifida: Olivia's story —
Olivia Jackman was born in September with spina bifida, a type of neural tube birth defect. Spina bifida is a birth defect in which the vertebrae do not form completely around the spinal cord.
courtesy Andrea Jackman
Olivia had surgery two days after birth. Spina bifida is the most common neural tube defect, affecting 1,500 to 2,000 of the more than 4 million babies born in the United States each year, according to the <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ninds.nih.gov%2Fdisorders%2Fspina_bifida%2Fdetail_spina_bifida.htm" target="_blank" target="_blank">National Institutes of Health</a>.
Spina bifida: Olivia's story —
Olivia had surgery two days after birth. Spina bifida is the most common neural tube defect, affecting 1,500 to 2,000 of the more than 4 million babies born in the United States each year, according to the National Institutes of Health.
courtesy Andrea Jackman
There is no cure for spina bifida, and treatment depends on the type and severity of the disorder, the NIH says.
Spina bifida: Olivia's story —
There is no cure for spina bifida, and treatment depends on the type and severity of the disorder, the NIH says.
courtesy Andrea Jackman
Olivia is undergoing physical and occupational therapy and doing well, says her mother, Andrea Jackman.
Spina bifida: Olivia's story —
Olivia is undergoing physical and occupational therapy and doing well, says her mother, Andrea Jackman.
courtesy Andrea Jackman
Doctors are hopeful Olivia will walk with the assistance of leg braces when she gets older.
Spina bifida: Olivia's story —
Doctors are hopeful Olivia will walk with the assistance of leg braces when she gets older.
CNN
Olivia's mother says she is willing to work with Washington state epidemiologists investigating the cause of a cluster of birth defects such as her daughter's if it would prevent another family from having a baby with such defects.
Spina bifida: Olivia's story —
Olivia's mother says she is willing to work with Washington state epidemiologists investigating the cause of a cluster of birth defects such as her daughter's if it would prevent another family from having a baby with such defects.
CNN