GREENFIELD, Ind. -- A Greenfield couple are waiting with excitement and trepidation for the birth of their daughter – but the wait has been complicated by a rare diagnosis.
Kyle and Briana Addison shared the story with the Greenfield Daily Reporter about the spina bifida diagnosis given to their unborn daughter, Brynlee.
Spina bifida is a birth defect that affects just 0.7 in every 1,000 births. The condition is marked by an incomplete closing of the backbone and the membranes around the spinal cord.
Brynlee, according to the Greenfield Daily Reporter, was diagnosed with myelomeningocele – the type of spina bifida that often has the most severe complications. Those with it have a portion of their spinal cord protruding through an opening in their back, protected only by a thin sac.
The image above from the CDC shows the three most common types of spina bifida.
Kyle, a Hancock County Sheriff's deputy, and Briana, a nurse, told the newspaper they're preparing for their daughter's birth as best they can.
