I’m on the planning committee and will be helping to emcee the Central Florida Bloggers Conference on September 15th in Orlando, Florida. I’m super excited about it because it’s a chance for hundreds of bloggers and social media all-stars (current or up and coming) to get together and share stories, advice and more. Tickets are on sale now but will go up in price the closer we get to the event so sign up ASAP!
One of the amazing things that we’re doing a this year’s Central Florida Bloggers Conference is a project called “Blogging for Good.”
By “Blogging for Good” we’re uniting together to make a change here locally. You can participate in our “Blogging for Good Program presented by the Rollins Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership Center by simply making a choice… a choice to write about something powerful, something beneficial, something right here in Central Florida.
Simply follow these directions to become a “Blogger for Good.” It’s free an easy and you’ll also be in the running to win some awesome prizes like a $100 American Express Gift Card or even an iPad 3!
And, lastly, if you choose, you and your readers can get a raffle ticket for one of six incredible baskets our nonprofits have put together just for this occasion! 100% of the money raised goes directly to the nonprofit of your choice, so, come on and join the movement!
Special thanks to the Rollins Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership Center for their support of this program!
One of the participating non-profits is the Spina Bifida Association of Central Florida, and I’ll admit that before I did a little research, I knew very little about both the affliction and the work this group does for children and families.
But I should. I’m 29 weeks pregnant today. I am so thankful that all of my ultrasounds and check-ups so far have shown no indication of a problem with my growing BabyBug, but nobody knows for certain until birth. I can’t tell you how much I love my child already, and I know that there is nothing I wouldn’t do to ensure her safety and health.
BabyBug at 7 weeks
That’s why when my doctor and the baby books told me to take a daily prenatal vitamin with folic acid, I did. But blindly. I knew that the pills had good stuff for me and baby, but I didn’t realize until now how CRUCIAL that prevention is.
According to the SBACFL:
The Center of Disease Control (CDC) now estimates that over 166,000 Americans are affected by Spina Bifida. The Spina Bifida Association of Central Florida (SBACFL) has a dedicated group of families and individuals with Spina Bifida, professionals and community volunteers, working to provide resources, educate, network, advocate and to bring about public awareness of Spina Bifida and folic acid’s role in reducing the risk of having a baby with Spina Bifida.
Babies born with this condition have a neural tube defect that happens in the first month of pregnancy — basically, the spinal column doesn’t close completely and the child can have all kinds of difficulty after birth, from mild impairments to severe disabilities.
One of our speakers, Laura Tellado, has spina bifida and her blog, http://holdinoutforahero.org, will inspire you and absolutely change the way you think of this condition. I hope it also makes you consider reaching out to a community like SBACFL to thank them for their service and to support them in any way possible.
**NOTE: I got some good notes and feedback from Laura after I originally published this post. Read below!
About Katy
You remember that one of your classmates and fellow girl scouts had spina bifida?
what a great cause! kudos!
Thanks so much, Katy, for the mention and for caring about this cause which is so close to my heart! Just want to point out people with SB are not “afflicted” with it. It happens just like anything else in life happens, and shouldn’t be viewed as an entirely negative thing. I have a LOT of blessings to be thankful for that are, in fact, a direct result of my being born with spina bifida and would never want people to pity me or think that somehow my life is worse than theirs.
Also, while prevention information is important, SBACFL also works hard to ensure that people already LIVING with SB (who are equally important!) are having the best quality of life possible. Many people who are expecting a child with SB get a lot of inaccurate information about what life with SB is really like, and as a result, abort their child. Knowledge is POWER, and as bloggers we have the responsibility to make sure that the information shared online about conditions such as these presents all angles, and not only the negative.
Thanks!!
Thanks for the clarification, Laura — I appreciate you helping me to better understand. Your story is so important to showing people, including me!, that there are many layers to a birth defect like spina bifida, and I’m s glad that this project is helping expand the knowledge.