By Annette Campbell
Flute teacher Diana McIntosh is one of the proudest mums on the planet. Her 10-year-old daughter Tiffanie is doing very well in school, plays the flute and piano and seems to have been born with a permanently positive attitude.
“I am so proud of her — she’s wonderful and the most encouraging and uplifting child,” Diana beams. “She is very loving and accepting of everybody and everything.”
Tiffanie also happens to have spina bifida and, along with her mum, lives every day determined to overcome any obstacles created by this condition.
She is both bladder and bowel incontinent; her walk is a little bit wobbly; she’s a little slow to move and so takes a bit longer to do things. But Tiffanie’s in a mainstream school and doing really well, now only having check-ups with her specialist once a year.
Her life today is a far cry from the grim picture painted for Diana at the time of diagnosis.
“I started bleeding at eight weeks of the pregnancy and an ultrasound was done, but it didn’t find anything,” says Diana, who is from the Hawkesbury region of NSW.
“I had another ultrasound at 18 weeks which showed spina bifida and other complications. It was explained to me that one option was to terminate and that if I didn’t, she’d probably terminate herself or be severely mentally and physically handicapped and probably never walk.
“But I didn’t even consider termination — I always knew I’d have this baby. I’d also always had a feeling she’d walk … I suppose because I could feel her kicking inside me.
“After her birth, another doctor said that if she was going to walk, it probably wouldn’t be until she’s three … but she took those first steps on March 11, just before her second birthday!
“She now wears ankle and foot orthoses (splints) to stop her feet rolling in and she’s a little bit wobbly, but she can walk.”
Diana attributes her daughter’s achievements to her amazingly positive attitude.
“Tiffanie’s positive all the time. At school she does have some difficulties because she’s easily distracted and when she’s trying to grasp a new concept, needs more repetition. But she’s doing really well.”
September is Spina Bifida Awareness Month, an annual national campaign to raise the profile of spina bifida, a neural tube defect (NTD) that means split or divided spine. It results from the failure of the spine to close properly during the first month of pregnancy, which often leads to a child being born with exposed nerves and damaged vertebrae.
In NSW the awareness campaign is coordinated by the Spina Bifida Group of NSW, auspiced by Northcott. Northcott provides support to people with disabilities and their families across NSW.
For information on the Spina Bifida Group of NSW, go to www.northcott.com.au
For information about spina bifida associations Australia-wide, contact the Australian Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association: www.asbha.org.au
Picture posed by model.
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