Katelyn's Story

Katelyn's Story

Over the past 15 years, Katelyn has undergone numerous treatments for her spina bifida. Shriners Children's has been a crucial part of her journey.
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[Title card: Shriners Children's Northern California logo]

Speaker 1: Hi, my name is Caitlin

Speaker 2: And I am Caitlin's mom. Heidi.

Speaker 1: I was born with spinal bifida and it's where my spinal cord didn't fully develop, so I lost the ability to walk. I was diagnosed with it. I was when my mom was

Speaker 2: 24 weeks. 24

Speaker 1: Weeks, yes, pregnant. And they found out I wasn't going to be able to walk. And from then it kind of started my journey into how I was I going to come into this world not being able to walk and all the challenges I was kind of going to face.

Speaker 2: So we found Shriners, actually they found us through the doctors detecting Caitlin's condition very early on over at Sutter Health Memorial Hospital. They connected us to Shriners pretty early on. They said this is a great place. They are going to be able to give her the best care.

Speaker 1: Without Shriners Children's Hospital, I don't think I would be in the position I would be Now.

Speaker 2: They definitely

Speaker 1: Opened doors. Yeah, they've opened many doors and whether Shriners definitely have, they've had the hugest impact on my life. Whether it's for health or whether it's for extracurriculars. They've given me more opportunities than I think anybody else can ever give a child. And so it's definitely made me feel like I'm having a best friend for life. Whether I'm growing up as an adult or now, they've always made me feel like I'm going to be a part of their family forever.

Speaker 2: I think without having Shriners Children Hospital for us, I think our family would not be where we're at now. They have given Caitlyn the confidence to be able to do whatever she wanted to do, making sure we were always taken care of. And from the moment we stepped into the hospital to the moment we stepped out, they were always so caring. And I will forever be grateful to them for the basically opening their doors to us and giving us an opportunity to be there with them and be part of their family.

Both: Thank you, Shriners.

[End card: Shriners Children's Northern California logo]