Kim Sloop Michigan City, Indiana, USA

May 1985

I was born on May 13, 1985 with a Spinal Cord disease, Spina Bifida. The doctors told my parents that I wouln't be able to do much of anything and don't bother putting me in school with "normal" children. I showed them! Now I'm 22, almost 23, and I'm going to graduate from Purdue University in May 2009.
I could walk until I was a sophomore in H.S. I had a shunt malfunction but didn't know it. We went to Shriner's Hospital in Chicago to find out what was going on. An eye specialist said she saw something behind my eyes but didn't know what it was and that I should go see an Optomatrist. He saw nothing. So we went to Children's Hospital for a second opinion. Before we even got in the room, Dr. Young took one look at me and told my mom I was having a shunt malfunction. He said I was very lucky because I had this shunt malfunction for 6 months and I could've died. So now because of a misdiagnosis I am confined to a wheelchair