A five-year-old boy with spina bifida surprised his classmates when he walked at his preschool graduation in Marion, Ohio, on May 11, 2019.
Footage shared on Facebook shows the brave little boy, Blake Mompher, using a walker to collect his diploma at Crosswood Preschool.
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According to his mom, Megan, walking at his graduation was a goal she had set for him at the beginning of the year. She told 10TV WBNS that Blake had been walking a little in the fall but had some medical complications. He started walking again three weeks ago, and worked with a therapist to get him ready for the big day.
“Blake walked on the stage today for his preschool graduation, a goal I set for him at the beginning of this year, not knowing what medical trauma was ahead of us. Not a dry eye in the room! He did it,” she said.
The moment was even more special because his classmates had never seen him walk before.
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Spina bifida, which literally means "split spine," is a neural tube defect wherein the baby's spinal column did not fully close. It usually happens towards the end of the pregnancy's first month, often when women don't even know they're pregnant.
The cause of spina bifida is currently unknown, so there is no guaranteed way to prevent it.
Credit: Team Blake via Storyful
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