The simple things

Sometimes, the simplest things make the greatest difference – such as feeling like you belong among your peers. For Vienna, that was her biggest dream – and one that Satan’s Little Helper was keen to make come true.

At three-years-old, Vienna had undergone surgery more times than she’d blown out candles on a birthday cake.

“Her first was at one day old to repair damage to her spinal cord; the next was just six days later to fix the fluid build-up on her brain, followed by further surgery at five months old and a hernia repair when she was two,” explains her mum, Kasey.

Vienna was born with spina bifida, a birth defect where the baby’s spine and spinal cord don’t develop properly.

The best surprise

“She’s a little fighter and has shocked everyone with her development,” says her mum. “We thought she’d never walk and now she walks, runs and jumps with the help of some AFO splints and a walking frame.”

Vienna also has Chiari II malformation, which is a condition where parts of the brain move into the spinal canal.

In addition to slowing her mobility development, spina bifida has resulted in several bowel and bladder problems.

“I help Vienna to access the toilet properly, as the damage to her spinal cord and connecting nerves means she struggles to do so herself,” explains Kasey.

“She can’t feel when she needs to go to the toilet, which is called a neurogenetic bladder. Basically, the bladder operates on its own, outside of input from the brain.”

Long-term implications

Because of this, Kasey reckons Vienna will need to be on some form of catheter for the rest of her life – and may need further surgeries.

Like many kids her age, all Vienna wants to do is feel like she fits in. A big part of that revolves around her toilet requirements.

One of her biggest wishes was to wear underwear like any other kid – and when Kasey presented Satan’s Little Helper with a set of briefs that suit her needs without the appearance of a nappy, we knew we had to get them for Vienna.

Fitting in

“She’s been so much happier since she got them,” says Kasey. “She was a bit overwhelmed when they arrived, if I’m honest. She just wants to be like everyone else, even if it’s just for a minute.

“She wears them for about half a day and the other kids don’t notice any difference. She seems to have a lot more friends now and isn’t excluded from play as much as she was before.”

Vienna’s medical future is a little uncertain – all her conditions require her and her mum to ‘wait and see’ how things develop – but one thing for sure is that Vienna will go “hundy” every day.

“She has amazing drive and determination. If she wants to do something, she will push herself until she can do it. She’s amazing and everyone can see that in her.”