A CNN report by Dr. Sanjay Gupta about the new surgery being pioneered in China that features the Kodjoe family (pictured), whose daughter Sophie has spina bifida.They have begun the Sophie's Voice Foundation. Here's its mission:
The SOPHIE'S VOICE FOUNDATION is a charitable organization supporting family outreach programs, prenatal education and surgical studies for children and adults with Spina Bifida.
The SOPHIE'S VOICE FOUNDATION was founded in 2008 by actors Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker in honor of their daughter Sophie who was diagnosed with Spina Bifida at birth. The news hit hard, but through consulting with various specialists and by educating themselves they found a way to address their daughter's needs and provide her with the best care and treatment available today.
But along the way they encountered families who couldn't afford to dedicate time and medical resources to their loved ones and were stranded in a place of confusion and despair.
Nicole and Boris were determined to help provide medical, physical, and emotional support to Spina Bifida Families everywhere. They teamed up with pediatric physicians from Atlanta to assist families in finding treatment options and care, and to help fund research and surgical studies.
Currently, the SOPHIE'S VOICE FOUNDATION is planning fundraisers across the nation to help finance the Xiao Procedure, a nerve rerouting procedure that could change the lives of Spina Bifida Families everywhere.
Nicole and Boris are extremely excited and motivated to be a voice for those unheard, and to provide education about prevention and a possible cure for this most preventable birth defect.