Denise LaBine

Denise LaBine was born with a birth defect called Spina bifida (meaning split spine). This condition occurs when the embryonic neural tube is not completely enclosed. Because she was able to receive treatment, she lived-- but treating the problem doesn't "fix" it entirely-- and so she is paralyzed and needs to use a wheelchair.

Somedays, I feel as though it's difficult for ME to maneuver around people/things in the aisles of the grocery store-- but can you imagine how much more difficult it would be to be confined to a chair 24/7, and still need to accomplish the same type of tasks? I think that it would a struggle both physically and emotionally, especially in the winter months when the snow and ice are everywhere. Denise is an upbeat person with a positive personality-- and, in fact, her disability has created some real joy in her life!

Joe, Denise's fiance, also has Spina bifida. His parents were missionaries in Nigeria when he was born, and his parents came back to the United States so he could receive surgery and treatment. His family found a pamphlet with some information about Denise, and contacted her family for help and support-- this was when she was only 2 years old! Their families remained friends throughout the years, and so did they. Joe began to have feelings for Denise in high school, but she had no idea. Eventually, she figured it out and decided to give the relationship a whirl-- and she couldn't be happier.

Denise is holding a prom photo from 2000 - she and Joe went together, "as friends" at that point in time.

Here's the ring!

As you can see, she can't help but smile when she looks at it.

Denise lives in an apartment that is designed to make it easy for her to do normal tasks like cooking and washing dishes. She still feels like it's hard to see into the pots on the stove, so she has a mirror to assist her.

She's able to get up close because the counters do not extend to the floor.

The fridge is just like any other, though. She just gets as close as she can.

She can reach almost anything in there, except the top shelf. Sometimes, things are stored there, but she has someone come in a few times a week to help her- and family often drops by to assist with things like that.

When she and Joe are married, she will move into his town home. Not many people who have a disability can afford to own their own home, but Joe has a full-time job and takes complete care of himself, which is really cool. But even though they are both in wheelchairs, the have different needs for their homes and surroundings. She will need a separate bathroom and they are planning to redo the entire kitchen and other areas so they will be comfortable and accessible for Denise.

Denise has had over 30 surgeries-- mostly related to Spina bifida and the health issues that go with it, but some others that don't (such as wisdom teeth removal, tubes in ears, etc.). She wears braces on her feet when she goes out of the house and is wearing shoes, but at home, she wears compression socks and some comfortable slippers.

She usually gets help in reaching items on the shelves, but if no one is around, she finds a way to get the things that she needs down.

If she needs to take a shower, she transfers herself from the wheelchair to the bath chair. She moves from the wheelchair...

...onto the bed...

... and over to the bath chair.

It's not as easy to move around in as the wheelchair, but it works. It wasn't designed as well as it should have been to fit her "just right"-- but it works well enough.

She's able to wheel into the shower area. She can take showers alone, but a few times a week she receives assistance in the process.

She doesn't have the luxury of just running to the bathroom to urinate quickly like we do. She had a surgery to make life a little easier-- that's a tube that goes into her body.

She uses a cafeter instead of having to urinate on the toilet.

To have a bowel movement, she has to stimulate the process by warming a solution.

Then she connects a tube to her body.

She puts the solution in a syringe, and inserts it from there into the tube. This begins the process of removing the waste...

It's normal to her :)

Her family is really supportive, and they come by whenever possible to help with little things that can make Denise's life a little easier. She's very independent and doesn't "need" them to do that, but her family shows their love to her by doing whatever they can.

It was her mom's 60th birthday. This year, she also got a "mother-in-law" card from Joe, too!

I'll be following Denise again soon to see a little more about what life is like for her. It's so encouraging to see how she doesn't seem to get down about the difficulties of being in a wheelchair-- she really enjoys life and is very involved in church activities and in her many friendships. Again, she's another strong woman and a great example of endurance and perseverance.