, wherein a baby is born with a deformed spine and spinal cord and consists of gaps due to stunted development.
Owing to the disease, her mobility is very limited. Her dependence on a wheelchair will increase as she gets older.
Despite the illness, she had made a sparkling career in show jumping and was even felicitated with the ‘Inspiration Young Person Award’ in 2018, where she also met the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle.
The showjumper star has filed a lawsuit of ‘Wrongful Life’ against her mother’s GP, Dr. Philip Mitchell, for his failure to give the right advice regarding medications to her mother due to which she was born with a permanent disability.
She also claimed that Dr. Mitchell did not advise her mother to take folic acid supplements to curb the risk of spina bifida to the minimum. If the doctor had given the right advice to her mother at the right time the damage could have been prevented.
Toombes mother, now 50, became pregnant in 2001 and was advised by Dr. Mitchell to take 400 milligrams of folic acid but was not told of its importance in spina bifida prevention.
Caroline said that the doctor told her that if she was taking a good diet, folic acid levels would be at a healthy level and she would not have to take folic acid supplements.
As per Toombes’ lawyer, her parents were initially refraining from conceiving a baby but went ahead after consulting the doctor on it.
However, Mitchell’s lawyer has denied the allegations and said that Evie’s parents were given “reasonable advice” related to the desirability of folic acid supplements.
The equestrian is currently hoping to compete in the Paralympics despite sometimes being hooked up to medical tubes for 24-hours a day. She also suffers from bowel and bladder issues as a result of her condition.
The final judgment is expected at a later date.
References:
- What is Spina Bifida? – (https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/spinabifida/facts.html)
- Spina Bifida Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
– (https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/spina-bifida)
Source: Medindia
