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Show March of Dimes Helps Youngster With 'Assist' from Coincidence Kathy Anderson is too ,.. young at 10 months to un- derstand coincidence. This is the story of how it tipped the balance in a.life-and-h death battle for her hope- fully, in favor of life. ; The first child ot Mr. and Mrs. i, James Anderson of Grundy, t. Va., Kathy was born in Decern h: ber, 10G0 with spina bifida a E- severe birth defect in which Sg. the spinal column fails to close Eu completely. Its cause is un- m'. ' ' known and there are too few r specialists in its treatment. t-1 Mrs. Anderson had been sent home, uncertain of her baby's W future, while Kathy remained ' in the hospital. The doctors E: were undecided on the next $t ; move. Helpful Neighbor rhones . Ten days passed. Then the Andersons' telephone rang. It m - was a neighbor who had just fc" read a magazine story about Linda Breese of Columbus, K Ohio, the 1981 March of Dimes P Poster Girl. I The article, in the monthly publication of the Loyal Order -v Moose, told how Linda, also HE a spina bifida victim, had un- Y dergone an operation at Chil- , dren's Hospital in Columbus, f i , . and was now making steady Si'' progress under a program of & ' ' treatment and rehabilitation at Be: . the March of Dimes-financed Ljt Clinical Study Center there. ' SP5'1 Mrs. Anderson, whose father- in-law is a Moose member, read the article for herself and ? promptly called her family physician, Dr. Thomas McDonald. They agreed on an immediate call to the Breese family, Y 200 miles away. " " Mrs. Breese confirmed the story. She also praised the . i skills of Dr. Martin P. Sayers I ' who had performed the opera- tion on Linda and of Dr. Wil-Uoai O. Robertson, director of the March of Dimes-supported iftft: Center, w With Dr. McDonald making iStf- the arrangements, Kathy was soon taken to Columbus for K"1 surgery by Dr. Saytrs. The operation was successful, but Kathy then began to develop .', , hydrocephalus, or water on the brain, which frequently ac-companies the open spine con-dition. Dr. Sayers inserted a S1 plastic tube which draini the , v 'I h excers fluid from Kathys head During reassuring chck-up visit to March of Dimes-financed Birth 1 Defects Clinical Stud Center at Children's Hospital, Columbus, ) Ohio, Kathy Anderson, 18 months, gets Jovlng embrace from 1 parents, Jim and Barbara Anderson of Grundy, Va. ) into her body to be absorbed. Kathy went back home to Grundy in February of 1961 after spending a month at Children's Hospital, but she's been a regular visitor since. Faithfully each month from March through October, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson drove 650 miles, round trip, between Grundy and Columbus, leaving home at midnight to reach Children's Hospital at 8 a.m. and returning the same afternoon. Kathy Checked Closely This enabled Dr. Robertson and oil the other members of the Clinical Study Center's medical team to keep a close check on Kathy In the important early months and to act promptly on any changes in her condition. Now that the critical stage is past, the Andersons must make that long auto trip only once every three months. But it doesn't seem so long to them now because it leads to hope for Kathy's future. Despite her continued improvement, Kathy's problems are far from over. Says Dr. Robertson: "Kathy is a cheerful little girl who seems to be respond- ing well to much of the treat- i ment we are prescribing for 1 her. However, like most children with severe birth defects j of the central nervous system. 1 she has complications which we 1 can't fully correct because we - : don't know enough about them yet." j Centers Fight Crippling The expert medical team at ! the March of Dimes-supported i center in Columbus and those 1 in more than 50 other centers ' are working to improve diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation techniques to help make j possible nearly normal lives for the victims of crippling ' birth defects, arthritis and J folio. ; Jim and Barbara Anderson i can only hope that the work of 1 Dr. Robertson and his asso- i ciates will bring a promising future to Kathy. But they can personally endorse his diagnosis of their daughter's disposition. ''She's a lively, happy baby who loves to have people i around her," says Mrs. Ander- ' son. "We try to keep her from getting spoiled but if s not easy, what can you do with four i grancrarents who have only : one grandchild to fuss over?" I . i |
