Minnesota Mom's Ingenuity Could Help Kids Born With Rare Spinal Defect
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Minnesota mother is trying to raise money to help kids who suffer from a common birth defect.
Levi Olson, now 4 years old, was born with Spina Bifida. It's a birth defect where the spinal column does not close all of the way.
After years of struggling with painful bladder spasms because of the defect, Levi's mom came up with an idea to help him. Now, the family calls Levi a champion for other kids with his condition.
When Sarah Olson was pregnant, doctors didn't notice anything out of the ordinary until her son arrived.
"They delivered him, put him on my chest, and I felt something on his back. Like, 'What is this?'" she said.
Levi was born with Spina Bifida. It's the most common disabling birth deffect in the U.S.
"We were told he probably won't walk, he could not have bladder or bowel function ... everything could be off," Sarah's husband David said.
But he did walk, defying the odds, and became known as "champion" around the hospital. Still, he struggled with a neurogenic bladder -- a common side effect of Spina Bifida. He often suffers painful bladder spasms.
"The amount of pain my 4-year-old is in, is by far more than anybody else I've seen go through," Sarah said.
At an appointment in February, Sarah asked Levi's doctor to try a different catheter device to help with his pain.
"He's like, 'What we have for Levi doesn't exist,'" she said.
Sarah, a stay at home mom with a business background, spent the next six months studying, and had a friend use a 3D printer to create a prototype device.
"I've known her long enough that if she has an idea, it's going to happen," David said.
Sarah asked their doctor to use it on Levi after his surgery in August.
"He healed so fast he was only in the hospital one night and was able to do all of his recovery from home," she said.
Now Sarah is hoping to share her device with the world. She's raising money to bring the device to the market.
"I'm not the guy in a lab -- I'm a mom who walks in these hospital rooms," Sarah said. "I hope I can be one of those things to bring hope to those kids."
Now, she's hoping Levi can be a "champion" for other kids.
About eight babies are born everyday in the United States that have Spina Bifida or a similar birth defect of the brain and spine. To learn how to help Sarah bring her device to market, visit the family's YouCaring page.