Meet Champion, Bethany

Bethany was diagnosed in utero with spina bifida, leaving openings in her spine and loss of movement below the knees. At just 12 hours old, she underwent surgery at Rady Children’s Health in Orange County to repair her spine and spent 10 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), until she surprised everyone by pulling out her own feeding and breathing tubes. “We joke that she checked herself out,” laughs her mom. Bethany, now 9, has no feeling from her knees down but is learning to walk with braces, using her thigh muscles. She continues to be cared for by a multidisciplinary team of specialists at Rady Children’s Over the years, she has faced additional procedures, infections, and ongoing therapies, but she’s also bonded with Rady Children’s therapy dogs and inspired her team with her upbeat spirit. Today, Bethany thrives in third grade, plays piano, and dreams of becoming an “astronaut nurse.”