Defying Odds: How One Mother's Faith Changed Her Daughter's Fate

Siberian Mother Learns of Daughter's Severe Spinal Condition at Four Months Pregnant

A woman from Siberia discovered at four months pregnant that her daughter would be born with a severe congenital disorder. Doctors recommended terminating the pregnancy, but she refused. Komsomolskaya Pravda–Novosibirsk shares the details.

Marina, a resident of Siberia, became pregnant in 2022. The baby was long-awaited for her and her husband, Nikita. Initial screenings and tests showed no abnormalities, but during the fourth month, an ultrasound revealed spinal defects. According to Marina, doctors convened a medical board and diagnosed spina bifida—a severe spinal cleft forming a large herniation. The condition can lead to paralysis, leg weakness, and other lifelong complications. She was told her child would be disabled, and one doctor even suggested an abortion.

"At first, we panicked," Marina said. "But then we started researching and learned that while it's a serious condition, it's not a death sentence. Children with spina bifida are born with a gap in their spine, causing the spinal cord to protrude and form a sac that can't be removed like a typical hernia. Specialists at Moscow's Veltischev Research Clinical Institute of Pediatrics and Children's Surgery explained that surgery could prevent risks like hydrocephalus, meningitis, and sepsis."

At five months pregnant, Marina underwent a fetal MRI in Akademgorodok (Academic Town). After reviewing the results, Moscow doctors confirmed that in utero surgery would not be necessary.

Following a cesarean section at 39 weeks, the baby was immediately taken for examinations and a CT scan at the Yasnetsky National Medical Research Center. Marina described a coin-sized herniation in the lumbar region, but it was closed and did not require emergency intervention. Later, the girl was admitted for surgery at Novosibirsk's Federal Center for Neurosurgery.

The operation took place when she was six months old—a complex, three-hour procedure. "Neurosurgeon Vasily Danilin and his team demonstrated incredible precision—we're so grateful to them!" Marina said. "For the first few weeks after surgery, we couldn't hold her upright or let her stand. I carried her facedown in my arms."

She shared that her daughter began walking on time and even learned to swim. The Spina Bifida charity foundation helped the family find specialists and navigate consultations. Their pediatrician assured them that her development was normal, though she would later face restrictions on physical education and heavy spinal strain.

The prognosis is hopeful—thanks to medical advances and her parents' determination, the little girl is defying the odds.

Last year, Masha turned three and started attending a regular kindergarten. The only reminders of her dangerous illness are a scar and the need for annual MRI scans. I ran a social media blog about our fight against the disease, and other mothers of children in similar situations reached out for advice and thanked me when things worked out for them. As for us, we are deeply grateful to the doctors in Moscow and Novosibirsk who saved our child from disability.