According to official government figures, the prevalence of spine bifida in the UK is about 0.06%; this means that the condition occurs in around 6 babies out of every 10,000 births.
Life can be challenging for people who have this condition as well as for their families and so this edition of the Medigarments blog aims to inspire and uplift these people by looking at some positive news stories about spina bifida.
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Facing the Fear
Tommy MacGregor, a trainee minister at the Church of Scotland, faced what he describes as 'his biggest fear' to raise funds for Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus (SBH) Scotland. On Saturday the 25th of May, the 46-year-old scaled the dizzying 131 feet tall tower at King's Church in Aberdeen before abseiling swiftly down from the top.
Tommy lives with spina bifida and hydrocephalus but has always refused to allow the chronic health conditions to hold him back, citing his motto 'never let anyone write you off'. As a young person, Tommy was told that going into education would be too much of a struggle for him but has proved this to be totally untrue by earning numerous degrees as a university student.
Lawrence Cowan, the Chief Executive of SBH Scotland, was quick to praise Tommy for his remarkable achievement. He said: "Our mission is to make sure that everyone with spina bifida and hydrocephalus feels unstoppable. Tommy is the very definition of that mission."
A Five-Star Show
Seven-year-old Aness was born with the most severe kind of spina bifida, which has caused complete paralysis from the waist down. This, however, has not stopped him from playing a key role in a recent production of Oliver!, a musical based on the classic novel 'Oliver Twist' by Charles Dickens.
Aness, who comes from Derby, made his acting debut in the performance, which received rave reviews in several newspapers. His mum Linda said that her son's confidence had been boosted by the experience and that it had revealed his previously-hidden talent.
Dancing Queen
A family from Aberdeenshire has raised more than £46,000 for SBH Scotland since they began fundraising back in 2010. Since 2012, Carol and Graeme Fullerton have been hosting Spring Bling Dinner Dances, with the most recent of these events racking up more than £3,800 for the charity.
Rebecca Fullerton, the couple's daughter, was born with spina bifida 15 years ago. SBH Scotland has been supporting the family throughout the years. The recent Spring Bling Dinner Dance event was the first that Rebecca has attended and mum Carol remarked how happy she was that her daughter had become 'part of her own story'.
Dynamic compression garments from the SDO® Original and SDO® lite collections by Medigarments Ltd can help support people with spina bifida. By improving function and reducing the severity of symptoms, the garments are designed to allow people to reach their goals, whatever those goals might be.
Medical garments by Medigarments Ltd
A strong advocate for inclusion and accessibility, Medigarments Ltd helps to improve the lives of people with disabilities every day through its design, manufacture and supply of therapeutic garments. SDO® Original Sensory Dynamic Orthosis™ dynamic compression garments can help to recruit muscles for activity by increasing sensory and proprioceptive feedback and improving musculoskeletal stability and alignment.
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