Toddler born with spina bifida who had surgery while still in the womb defies odds and learns how to walk

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Michelle, 37, from West Lafayette, Indiana, said: “We met with the doctor right after the scan and heard the words ‘neural tube defect’, ‘lemon-shaped head’ and ‘spina bifida’ to describe our daughter for the first time. “However, from the copious amount of research we did, we knew that the foetal surgery would be her greatest chance at walking one day and her only chance of reversing her Arnold Chiari II malformation.” She underwent the foetal surgery on April 27, 2020 at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Missouri, with more than 35 medical professionals in the operating room. open image in gallery Lacey is defying the odds and learning to walk She said: “It was quite literally the single most horrifying experience of my life. “We got a calendar and counted down each day.” open image in gallery She was monitored three times a week for the first three months, but now at 19 months Lacey is speaking at the level of a three-year-old She was given a Caesarean section on July 20, 2020 at 12:42pm, Lacey was born weighing 6lbs 9oz, and was immediately taken to the NICU.