VIDEO:A LETTER FROM ACTOR BORIS KODJOE AND NICOLE PARKER
Actor Boris Kodjoe and his wife Nicole Ari Parker are trying to raise $1.88 million dollars for children with Spina Bifida,a cause that is close to the Kodjoe’s hearts as their daughter Sophie,3, has Spina Bifida:
We hope you are well. We are writing this letter to share with you a most personal issue and ask for your help. As some of you already heard, our little Sophie was diagnosed at birth with Spina Bifida, the most common birth defect in the US, affecting the brain and/or spine in an average of eight babies a day. Degrees of severity vary from quadriplegic children with major brain damage and spinal injuries to cases of neurogenic bladders or even lesser issues.
We were blessed with a miracle child and spared of the more severe symptoms, but Sophie’s spastic bladder still forces us to catheterize her every three hours, day and night, to avoid pressure build up in her bladder and urine backflow into her kidneys. But frequent catheterization causes urinary tract infections, which are then battled with strong antibiotics, which in turn attack stomach flora and cellular balance, cause bowel issues, and that leads to more infections.
It’s a never ending cycle and the prognosis from specialists all over the world is a life long dependency on catheterization and diapers, unless we’d agree to a bladder augmentation, which is quite risky and not a way we want her to live. While being a simple body function for able-bodied individuals, these activities may take hours for children with Spina Bifida.
So after educating ourselves, studying hundreds of domestic and international cases, and researching alternative and traditional methods, our friend Jim Okula at the Spina Bifida Association of GA called us because he came across Dr Xiao from China. Xiao is the first and only person in the world who has developed a procedure of surgically rerouting nerves from the legs to the bladder, providing a new pathway for autonomic stimulation of the bladder, therefore teaching the bladder to empty itself over time.
WATCH BORIS KODJOE ON THE WENDY WILLIAMS[ aired on 8/19/08] SHOW AS HE TALKS ABOUT HIS DAUGHTER SOPHIE’S CONDITION:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq3fDFpGgx8&hl=en&fs=1]
>CAN’T SEE THE VIDEO?CLICK HERE TO WATCH
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SPINA BIFIDA OR TO HELP,CLICK HERE
My heart goes out to the family!
Aww thats so sad.But I wish all the best for that family.
Daaaaaaaaaamn Gina!! I had no idea! I’m devastated for them! That’s awful! And Sophie looks so nice, she never looks like she’s going thru anything! This is real news!
This is sad. It just goes to show you that everybody is going through something, no matter how perfect their lives may look on the outside.
My prayers are definately with this family. To Boris & Nicole, your children are absolutely georgeous. I SO love this couple. I feel for the child with Spina Bifida. I had that scare (thankfully that’s all it was) when I was pregnant with my 1st child. At that time I didn’t know too much about it but have learned a couple of things along the years. My heart goes out to this family & every other family that has had to deal with this issue. GOD BLESS!!!!
BY THE WAY, how are they trying to raise the money? I also live in Atlanta & would like to see if I could help, either with donating money or time.
Its sad when children are sick, but GOD doesn’t give us more than
we can handle, and my prayers go out to the family because I know
its hard to deal with. Keep GOD first and the rest will fall into place. I also commend the both of you, don’t give up and keep educating yourself that’s the key.
I AM SORRY FOR YOUR DAUGHTER ILLNESS. I KNOW YOU DO NOT REMEMBER BUT MY GRANDSON WAS IN THE HOSPITAL AT THE SAME TIME SOPHIE WAS SHE WAS A BABY THEN. MY GRANDSON WAS BORN WITH SICKLE CELL SO WHEN HE HAVE HIS PAIN CRISIS IT IS SO BAD UNTIL I HAVE TO CRY WITH HIM. I CAN’T EVEN IMAGINE YOUR PAIN BUT MY HEART IS RIGHT HERE WITH YOU IN PRAY
My daughter passed due to Spina Bifida. It was detected when I was 4 months pregnant. The doctor prediction was accurate and she died soon after I gave birth. She was born with multiple abnoralities and the back of her skull was missing. All of her brain was hanging out. She had a area in her back in whic flesh never covered around her spine. This was December of 1996. Don’t know what caused it but I was only told it could have been the fact I didn’t have enough folic acid in me. I was a mes this but have recovered mentally since. That would have been my first child. I now have a 5 year old that God has blessed me with. Hope evrything goes well and GOD proves the doctors wrong.
Sorry for the typos in my post, but just hard to talk about at times.
bummer..
I FEEL SO BAD 4 DEM BUT GOD WILL CUM THRU WITA BLESSING. BUT ON DA PLUS SYDE DA KIDZ R ADORABLE!!!
I’m sorry to hear that, Carolyn, but I’m happy for your 5-year-old blessing.
I am so sorry to hear about that. My prayers go out to you and your beautiful family.
Dear Nicoel & Boris,
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Please know that there are so many of us out here that are walking with you in your despair and hoping for a solution asap.
I am a huge fan of the both of you.
You have two gorgeous little girls.
May God bless!
you in your despair
Sorry!
I misspelled Nicole’s name
AWWW GOD BLESS THEM
Thats so sad to hear, I have to admit that I don’t know alot about Spina Bifida. But it breaks my heart to see children born with different birth defects. Sophie is an angel, she’s a beautiful little girl. I know she’s going to be just fine. I’m praying for the entire family.
My heart also goes out to them too, knowing what I had to go through when I was a child living with spina bifida. Now, I am a young adult living with it. Its not as bad as you may think. Its actually a blessing! The main thing that I have problems with is my bladder and bowels. I sometimes catch Urinary Tract infections due to catherization, which are no joke! But through everything, God has been good to me. I’m sure Sophie will be just fine! I wish there was something I could do to help. I would love to donate my time and energy for raising money and awareness about spina bifida!
I’m glad im not the only one going through this. My case is a little different but same case. I have a daughter that was born in 1999 and she was born with spina bifida. We have been blessed that my daughter can walk with the assistance of k’afo’s and afo’s. She has had plenty of surgeries, including a uterial reimplant. She is going to be 10 in May and she self-catheterizes, learning after only a week. She is only on 2 every day meds now. She isn’t shy to explain to people her condition.She knows that shes a little different than other kids but we are fortunate that her school has an atomosphere that lets the kids with disabilities interact with the able-bodied kids. The kids don’t see the disability they see the kid for the kid. That is so hard to find these days and it helps with my childs confidence alot. Thank you for sharing your story.
so sad, this is a beautiful family and i send them my love from the uk, i am just so pleased to see that in spite of everything they seem so strong as a unit and the love they have for each other and the kid is so evident…
i wish them all the best..
sophie is too gorgeous lol she looks like her mama!! x