One Family’s Struggle With Microcephaly, the Birth Defect Now Linked to Zika

Nicholas Grounds was born with a neurological defect known as microcephaly back in 2006. This birth defect causes Nicholas to have a malformed head and severely stunted brain development. With the spread of the Zika virus (a virus known to cause birth defects), babies are more at risk of being born with microcephaly than ever before. Nicholas’s family struggled with his birth defect. Not only was it hard to watch him struggle to crawl, walk, and talk, but it was also hard to find him all of the care he needed. The Grounds family is lucky that they can afford to pay for a special school, physical therapy, and individual counseling for their son, because some families aren’t as fortunate. Nicholas will continue to need support through his entire life.

I really liked the lead for this story. It was kept short and simple, but it gave readers a sense of anxiety and a desire to know what was coming next.

I also liked the organization of this article. It touched on Nicholas and his birth defect first and foremost, then moved on to talk about the Zika virus increasing the risk of babies being born with microcephaly to show readers that the article is important and relevant, then it shifted its focus back to Nicholas and talked about how his family has been managing his microcephaly over the years.

I thought it was interesting that the article brought up the question of what the government should do in regards to this issue. It talked about Congress spending $1.1 billion dollars towards preventative measures for the Zika virus, but is this enough? Christine Grounds, Nicholas’s mother, said that the cost of prevention hardly compares to the cost of care (the cost of care for microcephaly being $10 million over a lifetime). Does this mean that the article was hinting that Congress should help put money towards families that are already struggling with microcephaly, or was it just stating the facts?

This article is newsworthy because it appeals to human interest and has impact. People like to read emotional stories about how people with birth defects are able to overcome the odds, which means it appeals to human interest. This story has impact because microcephaly is a birth defect that many new families are potentially at risk for.

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