By Marie Mulvenna

A five-year-old Atlanta boy has told everyone he meets that he is the local poster child for the 1974 March of Dimes campaign. Tony Davis’ selection and the many appearances he will make on behalf of the March of Dimes throughout Georgia may help him forget his many bouts with surgery, body casts and ongoing therapy since his birth.

Tony, the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Davis of Our Lady of the Assumption parish, was born with a relatively rare birth defect known as spina-bifida, an opening in the spine. Mrs. Davis explained that the problem involves nerves outside the spine itself and always requires surgery for them to be placed inside the spinal column. The result, however, is paralysis from the waist down. The defect, according to a March of Dimes spokesman, is one of their most serious ones and occurs less than once in every 1,000 births.

Mrs. Davis explained that the birth defect occurs during the second to fourth week of pregnancy and is an inherited problem about which little is known. The Davises lost an 18-month-old son who suffered from the same defect just three months before Tony’s birth. Although the problem is not exclusively a male defect, the Davis’ three daughters have happily been spared the ailment.

A real football fan and “TV bug,” Tony particularly likes cowboys and Indians and, Mrs. Davis notes, is treated by the family as normally as possible. Mrs. Davis herself handles daily therapy for Tony who, last year at this time, was walking with the aid of braces.

He suffered a setback of sorts this past year with two broken legs, an unfortunate byproduct of his condition. Since he receives little exercise, his leg bones become brittle and thus are easily broken by a sudden move or turn. Now, with Mrs. Davis’ aid, Tony is able to stand for two hours at a time and hopefully will soon be able to walk again with the aid of braces.

Although he has faced several operations for a hip dislocation, another aspect of his problem, Tony is a beaming and charming youngster. A March of Dimes spokesman described him as “bright, alert and so very appreciative.” He will have to have surgery again this summer but it has not dampened his enthusiasm so far for his current round of appearances and the many activities surrounding his selection as poster child.

Before the Davis family had even heard that Tony was to be the metro poster child, the daughters had begun their collecting in the neighborhood for the March of Dimes, a project very close to the hearts of all the family members.

In spite of all his physical problems and frequent encounters with surgery, casts, braces etc., Tony Davis is a delightful young lad with a happy smile. He’s a spunky youngster who hopes to attend regular school next year. And, in case one had not heard, Tony will tell you right off the bat that he’s the poster child for the local March of Dimes drive.