Chapter 8 — The Mark

I want to stop here and say something about that small reddish mark, and about the word the doctors used, because it matters, and because my brother, in his panic, got it so terribly wrong.

In those first days, while I cared for her, the doctors examined the baby thoroughly, and we sat down with a specialist, Dr.

Harris, who explained things to us patiently and kindly.

The mark did indicate a form of spina bifida — a condition present from birth, involving the spine.