The following is the personal account of my friend* Kurt Walker's lifelong journey with Eagle-Barrett Syndrome (more commonly known as Prune Belly Syndrome, or PBS). Kurt is a Pastor, teacher and preacher at Faith United Church of Christ in Indianapolis and, wow, does he make a difference to a lot of people:
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?"
~excerpt from Mary Oliver's poem, "The Summer Day"
"I was born with a rare birth defect known as Prune Belly Syndrome (prunebelly.org). It occurs once in every 40,000 live births, with a 50% survival rate in utero and another 50% survival rate after 24 months of age. According to the latest genetics statistics, there are currently only 1,495 survivors living in the U.S.
"As my parents struggled to save my life as an infant they were told that, should I survive, I would not be able to walk, I would not be able to stand unless propped up by two walls, I would not be able to ride a bike, that I would never be able to have children, and that I would be one of only a few world-wide to have survived this disease. When you are born under those circumstances, you learn fairly quickly how much everything is a gift from God; a blessing, to be unwrapped daily, as our feet hit the floor to start each new day.
"As I went through the challenges of childhood, I was blessed to have parents who allowed me to
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