Deidre LaSalvia has lived with spina bifida for 52 years and began having surgeries – and hospitalizations – at the age of three.
She attended public school and graduated with honors, then found work in an emergency department doing transcription and registration for 17 years.
“I knew I was interested in medicine because of the things I had been through,” Deidre says.
She credits her mother – who sadly passed away in 2018 – with making her into the strong-willed person she is now.
Today, Deidre enjoys life with her border collie, Shelby Anne, and her boyfriend of two years.
Hear Deidre LaSalvia talk about their experience.