Like any expecting mother, Sheena Coke was excited to see her newly born for the first time on December 18, 2008 in Pueblo, Colorado. Unfortunately, her newly born son, Nickolas Coke, was not like other babies. He was born only with a brain stem, a serious birth defect known as anencephaly. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), babies born with this condition are without parts of their brain and skull; each year, it is estimated that 1 in every 4,859 babies in the United States are born with this condition.

Nickolas lived a miraculous life; he was celebrated as a medical miracle though doctors only expected him to live up to a few hours like most babies born with anencephaly. Defying the odds, Nickolas lived a full 3 years and 11 months. Sheena told KOAA-TV in July, “I think the love and caring that everyone gives him is making him stronger and making him live longer.”

According to Sherri Kohut, Nickolas’ grandmother, Nickolas caught a virus which caused his breathing to become labored and eventually stop. She said that CPR was performed on him three times, but Nickolas was gone after the last try. He was laid to rest last Wednesday.

Nickolas did not rely on special medical equipments but had to consume numerous types of medicine. Kohut said, “He was never hooked up to any machines, no tubes, no nothing. He taught us everything, he taught the love, how to be family. He taught us everything.” The Coke family spent the last three years focusing on cherishing and celebrating each day of Nickolas’ life.

Anencephaly is one of the most fatal forms of neural tube defects (NTD). Referring to Duke Center for Human Genetics, NTD is an opening in the spinal cord or brain that can arise in the first few days of human development; thus, it can only be detected within the first month of pregnancy. A prevention technique could be the consumption of multivitamins along with 400 micrograms of folic acid on a daily basis at least 4 weeks before a planned pregnancy.

The life of Nickolas Coke will forever be a medical mystery. He will always be remembered as the little boy who fought to live. Recently, he became an elder brother to Jace Nickolas James. Nickolas was well loved and taken care of. His grandmother referred to him as a hero; she said, “He was our hero because he showed the strength; if I can do this anything can be done.”

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January 8-14 is considered Folic Acid Awareness Week and is a good time for people to be reminded of the importance of getting some of that vitamin each day. Folic acid is an essential B vitamin, and a lack of it can lead to birth defects. It also serves a variety of functions within the body, and a shortage or absence of it can lead to health problems.

“Folic acid is important to our health, yet many people are not even familiar with what it is or why we need it,” explains Dwayne Adams, registered nurse and creator of the RNHealthCoach.com, an online health and wellness coach directory. “The more people know about it, and where to get it, the more they are able to make a point of including it in their diet. And the health benefits that result speak for themselves.”

Folic acid is considered a fundamental building block in our body. It is used for cell growth and reproduction, and it also helps in the building of DNA. Other health benefits of getting an adequate supply include it helping to protect against heart disease, stroke, and some mental conditions, such as Alzheimer’s Disease.

To help avoid birth defects, such as spina bifida and anencephaly, it is important that women get enough folic acid, not only during pregnancy, but for at least a month before becoming pregnant, as well. Those not pregnant can still suffer serious health consequences from not getting enough folic acid, including anemia and irritability.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women need 400 micrograms each day. Getting the recommended daily amount of folic acid can be achieved as easily as taking a multivitamin that contains it, but a full daily supply can also be found in a variety of breakfast cereals, such as Kellogg’s Special K, Kashi Heart to Heart, and General Mills Total Raisin Bran.

A quick scan of the nutritional label will show how much folic acid is found in the cereal per serving. Additionally, some folic acid can be obtained through foods such as spinach, broccoli, black beans, pinto beans, and chickpeas. ”Getting enough folic acid is crucial,” adds Adams. “The good news is that it is surprisingly easy to accomplish that each day.”

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