A Scottish supertot was 'born twice' after having crucial surgery 10 weeks before his birth. Three-year-old Carter was diagnosed with spina bifida while still in the womb.
Doctors told mum Cynera McBride that he needed an operation on his lower spine before he was born to give him the best chance at life. He was first exposed to the world during the operation on September 27, 2022 - a day which his family now celebrates as his 'butt day'.
Diagnosis and surgery
At 20 weeks pregnant, Cynera was told her baby had spina bifida - a condition where a fault in the spine occurs during pregnancy causing one or more vertebrae to form incorrectly. The mum admitted the diagnosis was "overwhelming" and she had never heard of the condition, even though the pub she worked in supported charity Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland.
She said: "I didn’t know anything about it, I had just seen the name. I went for a private scan like I did with all my kids to find out the gender and they said to me ‘there is something wrong with your baby’."
She added: "I was very fortunate that the doctor I saw was very up-to-date with things. She told me all my options and didn’t push for termination [of the pregnancy]. She said with his lesion being as low as it was, the outlook for him was very positive and only certain things would be affected."
Cynera successfully underwent surgery with her unborn baby, and 10 weeks later Carter was born for a 'second time'.
Charity support and Kiltwalk challenge
Cynera then got in touch with charity Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland in the hope of "reaching out to other mums who had had the foetal surgery". She said: "I met the team because they came up to the Neonatal intensive care unit. He was three or four days old. They told me about the groups. We went to the first group meeting when Carter was five months old and basically have come to every single group meeting since."
The brave tot, now aged three, has continued to flourish. After watching his mum take on the Glasgow Kiltwalk earlier this year, Carter begged her to let him participate in the challenge in his wheelchair to raise funds for the charity that supports his condition. Cynera said: "Carter is looking forward to it. He is really excited about getting a medal at the end when he crosses the finishing line."
Carter and his older brother Clark, seven, are set to take on the Edinburgh Kiltwalk later in September. The pair will be joined by three of their friends and five adults in addition to their mum. Sister Serena, six, will cheer them over the finishing line.
Cynera added: "The charity means a lot to us as a family. They support us with everything. Carter will go to school next year and they will help with the nursery-to-school transition and the family groups are great, all my kids love going. We decided not to wait another year so we are doing the Edinburgh Kiltwalk this month. Carter and Clark have sponsor forms and are going round neighbours and friends looking for sponsorship."
