Karneshia Patton has been suffering from Spina Bifida since she was three years old and has been using a wheelchair since then. Today the woman has become a symbol of confidence and beauty standards that we would love to be associated with. The 28-year-old belongs to Birmingham, Alabama calls her wheelchair both her 'worst enemy' and her 'best friend.' She began modelling recently and hopes to encourage more diversity and inclusivity in the beauty and fashion world. Karneshia is paralysed from the waist down but that doesn't change anything she is pursuing her modelling career, MBA, and a job at a nail salon like a boss! She also works out at that the gym and plays basketball. Centre for Children With Birth Defects Sets Up in Udhampur.

in a video shot for Barcroft TV, she also said that she faced bullying at school. She said as per quoted in the Barcroft TV video, “I would say that I was bullied in middle school, maybe 5th or 6th grade. “There were times growing up when I did resent my wheelchair before I actually came to terms with my disability and accepted who I was. "But I think that’s when we were going through that awkward adolescent phase when kids were kind of cruel and just kind of wanted to be like other kids. I was like - I don’t need to be like the other kids.”  Anencephaly Affects the Skull of the Newborn: Know Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment of This Neural Tube Defect

Take a look at the full video.

What is Spina Bifida?

One of the very complex birth defects compatible with survival, Spina bifida is also the most common birth defect that affects the central nervous system (CNS). A study says, 'Because of its complexity, the diagnosis and treatment of infants born with spina bifida begin before birth and through adulthood, involving multiple disciplines.' It also says, 'Spina bifida is a neurogenetic disorder with a complex etiology that involves genetic and environmental factors. The most common form of spina bifida, myelomeningocele is often used interchangeably with spina bifida. Myelomeningocele usually (but not always) affecting the brain with characteristic phenotypic features that involve cognition, behaviour, and adaptation, along with the more recognized complex effects of neurological dysfunction on multiple organ systems.'

Spina bifida occurs in around 1 per 1000 births worldwide and MMC, open spina bifida is probably one of the commonest congenital malformations. However, it is really unfortunate that its causation is largely unknown. People like Karneshia Patton are changing the face of this condition and are making the disability, their strength!

(Reference studies: Spina Bifida Andrew J. Copp,1 N. Scott Adzick,2 Lyn S. Chitty,3 Jack M. Fletcher,4 Grayson N. Holmbeck,5 and Gary M. Shaw/  Introduction: Spina Bifida—A Multidisciplinary Perspective)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 17, 2018 11:11 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).