Spina bifida sufferer: This will change the lives of babies and their families
Greg Cumming believes open foetal surgery offers children with spina bifida the best start in life. Greg welcomes surgical advances which can massively benefit children whose condition would otherwise have had a greater impact on their life.
He said: “It’s a positive thing that surgery can be done to give a baby the chance of improvements in their condition.
“You can’t get more positive than that.
“Having the benefits of the surgery before you are born will give them the best start to life.
“It has potential to transform the life of the baby and the lives of their family for the rest of their lives.”
The 26-year-old, who was born with the condition, said he found dealing with it hard when he was growing up and kept it secret for fear of being singled out.
The effects of spina bifida can include paralysis of the legs, incontinence and in severe cases brain damage. However, the development of open fetal surgery means doctors have a new way to improve the lives of children with the condition – before they are even born. The surgery can improve their ability to walk and reduce other health problems that result from the condition. Although Greg’s condition does not affect his legs it does cause urinary problems that mean he has to catheterise every day to stop his bladder from leaking.
As a result, he had to take a bag of pads with him whenever he went on school trips and feared other children finding out why he had his rucksack at all times.
Greg, from Grangemouth, accepts people’s experiences will differ but he explained that he didn‘t stop trying to hide his condition until he grew up.
“It’s a difficult condition to live with when you are younger,” he said.
“You try to hide away that part of your life. You try to hide it so people don’t pick on you.
“As I grew older I would think about what people would say. I thought no one would accept me.”
Greg, who organises a race night every year to raise cash for spina bifida charity SBH Scotland, is more susceptible to contracting urinary infections and last year had to seek treatment for 40 separate infections.
And while the condition has less of an impact on his life than some other sufferers, it still makes some activities, like swimming, harder because of the added chore of catheterising and the risk of infection.