Spina Bifida: What It All Means

So, all month long I have inundated you with facts, endless amounts of information and pictures on Spina Bifida and various diagnoses associated with SB. I did this in honor of October being Spina Bifida Awareness Month to inform you of this disability. Chances are very good that you know someone that has Spina Bifida and you didn't even realize it. It was a LOT of information to take in over the last 31 days. But it's so very important to know it all and educate yourselves whether you have SB, your child or another relative has it. Or if it's someone else that you know outside of your family. 

Spina Bifida is a serious disability. But it doesn't have to be a death sentence with the right care. It does not have to be a prison sentence for the one that has it. There are so many opportunities and experiences out there for people with SB (and other disabilities, too!). In fact, there are the same opportunities available for "people like us", as there are for non-disabled persons. We maybe just have to go about doing them or obtaining them in a different way. There's nothing wrong with that! We are ALL different in our own way any...even if we don't have a disability. 

Still, we can go to school and college. We can drive. Go on vacations to the beach. Have sex and have babies. Have relationships and get married (and divorced). OK, so maybe I should mentioned the relationships and marriage before sex and babies. But you get the idea. We can live alone and cook and clean our homes. We can go shopping. Some people with SB are gay, lesbian or transgender. It affects people of different races, genders and religions. 

I tell you all of this so that you know we aren't freaks! It's okay to befriend us....it's okay to ask us about our disability as long as you do it in a respectable educated way. Honest, it's okay. We know we have a disability! You won't shock us with your questions. I promise, we'd rather you ask us the questions instead of staring at us and not learning about it. We're "normal" people....just like YOU! And if you have gotten anything out of this month long awareness, I hope that it's just that. We're normal people too.