
I first met Corbin Allred in 2003 when a World War II movie he was in, “Saints and Soldiers,” was making the film festival rounds. He played the lead role of Deacon, a decent man trying to escape against all odds back to Allied lines.
He continues to act (that’s him with the spiffy ‘do in the follow-up, Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed, coming soon to a theater near you), but now he has the added responsibilities of being a husband and father.
Recently, Corbin and his wife, McKenzie, learned that the baby they were expecting had spina bifida, a developmental congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the spine.
Their blog, Meet Me in the Apricot Tree, follows their experience from diagnosis. It’s a riveting account. Here’s an excerpt from “Our Lives Are Split in Two.”
The doctor walked in…shook my hand firmly…and sat down. He let out a big sigh and spoke words that I will foerever wish he could take back. “Well, I’m really worried about your baby girl.”
The world stopped turning. In that moment, there was nothing else in the world that mattered. The triviality of current challenges caused them to fade from existence and suddenly…everything we ever knew…changed. It was like this doctor took a sword and split the timeline of our lives in two. When it comes to the words he spoke…there will forever be…before we heard them…and after.
Lily was born a few days ago. As you can imagine, it was an ordeal for all involved, involving surgery almost immediately after birth. Through it all, I was moved to read Corbin’s account of his daughter’s arrival in Lily Norine Allred is Here:
Lily joined the world at 4:33pm on 6/29/12. She was so tiny and beautiful. 4lbs 11oz and 18.5in. Sadly…they took Lily for assessment before Kenz even got to see her. Kenz had to go to recovery and wait almost 3 hours before even getting to touch her. Let me just say…Lily is perfect in every way that matters!!! Seriously…just perfect and gorgeous and everything we could ever want in a little girl and more. I got to spend a lot of time alone with her during the first few hours of her life as she was already so strong…never needed oxygen…just calm…and content…and sweet as can be. Lily told me that I was her favorite and that she’ll always be a daddy’s girl…but Kenz doesn’t believe me.
Follow Corbin and his family in their blog, Meet Me in the Apricot Tree.
As might be expected, there are many expenses involved in raising a child with spina bifida. A fund has been set up through Give Forward. You can find out more about The Little Allred Girl Spina Bifida Fund here.











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