Ella’s Grace

Digging Deeper

Our Mission

Mission Statement

Ella’s Grace Foundation has a mission to support others with disabilities through financial assistance for care, supplies, education and helping others experience the same joy and love that God has provided her.

More About Ella

In May of 2013, Ella was born with Spina Bifida. The day she was born she had a seven-hour surgery to close and repair the exposed spinal area. After the surgery, she spent her first several weeks of life in the NICU to heal. Physicians said that Ella had a high probability of never being able to walk.

Ella’s parents, Shane and Jana, were determined to push Ella to be strong and overcome any obstacle she faces.  Within 18 months, Ella was using a walker to keep up with her three older sisters, Olivia, Grace and Audrey. Over the years, she has undergone multiple medical procedures to correct bone development which allows her to continue to walk with an assistive device.

Normal for Ella requires strength, courage, and a whole lot of faith.

Basic events that most children get to experience, like sleepovers with friends, must be very planned out for Ella.

Medical supplies, in home health care and assistive devices are expensive for families.  God has blessed us with a caring, outgoing, determined child and together we want to share our story and help others.

Susan, Ella’s now “bonus” mom, was married to Adam Bancroft until 2019 when a tragic car accident took his life.  Adam was a special education teacher for 30 years and devoted his life to children with disabilities. He believed that all children could learn and to never give up on them. His devotion to kids with disabilities inspired anyone who knew him. Ella’s Grace Foundation will also honor Adam by continuing the legacy of advocacy for disabled children.

Ella lives in a small rural community and often ADA accessible activities do not exist.  Families with children who have a disability who are wheelchair bound or are required to use a walking device, often must travel to find playgrounds, parks and activities that are ADA friendly.  Through support from our generous donors, we have a vision of creating spaces, activities, and support to enhance the lives of other individuals.

Ella has a contagious smile, caring spirit, and the desire to help others that face the same mental and physical obstacles that she faces each day.

What is Spina Bifida?

Spina Bifida is the most common permanently disabling birth defect that is associated with life. Approximately 166,000 individuals in the United States have Spina Bifida. It’s a type of neural tube defect (NTD) that occurs when a baby’s neural tube fails to develop or close properly – the literal meaning for Spina Bifida is “split spine.” Typically occurring within the first 28 days of pregnancy while the neural tube is forming, Spina Bifida often occurs before a woman knows she is pregnant.

Commonly referred to as the “snowflake condition” of birth defects because no two cases are the same, Spina Bifida can range from mild to severe. The severity depends on everything from the size of the opening to the location on the spine.

Ella’s condition closely aligns with Myelomeningocele (Meningomyelocele), also called Spina Bifida Cystica. This is the most severe form of Spina Bifida. It happens when parts of the spinal cord and nerves come through the open part of the spine. It causes nerve damage and other disabilities. Seventy to ninety percent of children with this condition also have too much fluid on their brains. This happens because fluid that protects the brain and spinal cord is unable to drain like it should. The fluid builds up, causing pressure and swelling. Without treatment, a person’s head grows too big, and may have brain damage.

While there is no known cause, it has been shown that women who are old enough to have babies should take folic acid before and during the first three months of pregnancy. Because half of the pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, the Spina Bifida Association asks women to take a vitamin with 400 mcg (0.4 mg) of folic acid each day during the years of their lives when they are possibly able to have children.

www.spinabifidaassociation.org