ORANGE PARK, Fla. — Kristen Heard from Orange Park says she always knew she was different. And when she was born, according to her mom, her doctors said the same thing.
“Nothing was said before she was born because no one knew,” said Vesta Beany, Heard’s mother.
Heard lives with spina bifida– a rare birth defect where the spinal cord doesn’t fully form. It’s something her mom didn’t know existed until she was born and doctors were unsure of how long she would live.
"About a week later, I started developing hydrocephalus," Heard said. "And so, I have a metal VR shunt in my head."
“She was three weeks old when I was able to pick her up,” Beany added.
At that time, more than 60 years ago, there wasn’t a lot of research done about spina bifida, leaving Heard and her family unsure of how this diagnosis would impact her later on in life.
Heard told First Coast News that living with the condition caused her to be delayed when it came to walking compared to her classmates. But, didn’t let that stop her from being successful in the classroom. Later in life, Heard became a special education teacher as well as a mom, even though spina bifida poses the threat of fertility issues.
"I wanted to teach kids like me, but I was told that it would be too hard with wheelchairs and it would be too much for me," Heard said. "And my grandkids are fine, I’m glad I didn’t not have kids because of the possibility."
Heard hopes other parents and children living with spina bifida see her story so they know they can also have a quality life.
“I just want people to know that this is not a death sentence, they're going to be successful,” Heard said.