Doctors said little Johnny would never walk – they were wrong

Little Johnny Farrant was born with spina bifida and doctors never expected him to be able to walk, but the tough five-year-old has defied the odds.

Johnny Farrant, 5, was born with spina bifida at Mater Mothers' Hospital. Picture: Renae Droop/RDW Photography

Born with a crooked spine and a mass the size of his head on his back, little Johnny Farrant was never expected to walk.

But the now five year old has been a fighter from the moment he took his first breath at 29 weeks gestation. He loves life, walks independently and uses his trike to zoom around.

Johnny was born with spina bifida at Mater Mothers’ Hospital in South Brisbane. The condition occurs when a baby’s spinal cord fails to develop or close properly while in the womb and impacts 150 babies in Australia each year.

Annika and Nathan Farrant with daughter Eloise, 2, and son Johnny, 5. Picture: Renae Droop/RDW Photography.

In 2019 doctors told Annika and Nathan Farrant at the 20-week pregnancy scan there was a “clear abnormality” with their unborn son.

“No one in our family had spina bifida and the news came as such a shock. It was a pretty grim diagnosis,” mum Annika said.

The couple had tried for a baby for 10 years before Johnny arrived. Their second child, Eloise, is now two.

Due to the severity of Johnny’s condition, surgery in utero was not an option.

Within days, the couple from the Redland City region, attended the Mater Centre for Maternal Fetal Medicine at the Mater for more scans and expert care.

Johnny Farrant was born with spina bifida in at Mater Mothers' Hospital in 2019. Photo: Supplied.

“Doctors mentioned the words one kidney, chest wall deformity, spina bifida, hydrocephalus, scoliosis and kyphosis (excessive forward rounding of the upper back),” Mrs Farrant said.

After a great deal of “doom and gloom”, Mrs Farrant said she will never forget meeting Mater Director of Neonatology Pita Birch and Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine Glenn Gardener, who guided her and her husband through the “nerve-wrecking pregnancy”.

“Dr Gardener is an amazing man who offered us hope. He detailed that he thought our little guy had a fighting chance,” she said.

Dr Birch said during the last four years, 26 babies were born at Mater Mothers’ Hospital with spina bifida.

He said the care of babies with spina bifida was a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary task.

“Care involves neurosurgical, neurology, rehabilitation (QCH has a team that provides rehabilitation care for babies with spina bifida), neonatology and general pediatrics,” Dr Birch said.

Nathan Farrant enjoying cuddles with baby Johnny. Picture: Supplied.

Johnny Farrant recovering from surgery after he was born with spina bifida. Photo: Supplied.

“It also involves doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, speech pathologists and occupational therapists,” he said.

For two weeks in the Neonatal Critical Care Unit at Mater Mothers’ Hospital, Johnny received around-the-clock care by a multidisciplinary team before having corrective spinal surgery at the Queensland Children’s Hospital.

“We had to navigate Johnny’s breathing needs, feeding and handling him. Most of the time it took two nurses to pick up our tiny baby due to the instability of his defect,” Mrs Farrant said.

Annika and Nathan Farrant with baby Johnny who was born with spina bifida at Mater Mothers' Hospital in 2019. Photo: Supplied.

“It wasn’t clear that after surgery Johnny would have any ability to move his lower limbs nor what impact it may have on his arms but this guy wriggled and giggled,” she said.

Mr Farrant said that while being a medically complex case, Johnny was a delightful and easy baby to care for.

Originally published as Doctors said little Johnny would never walk – they were wrong