On Her Own Two Feet

Well, one of those feet will be attached to a prosthesis, but the prognosis is that Maddie will be walking upright by early November...just in time for her third birthday on November 22.

We had our first visit at Shriners Hospital in Minneapolis yesterday. Madeleine has a genetic condition known as Longitudinal or Tibial Deficiency. It's fairly uncommon, but the doctors at Shriners have treated somewhere between 30 and 40 children with this condition. Maddie has Stage II which means that she has a fibula and a very small tibia and a functional knee joint. This is very good news and puts her in a good position for treatment.

Maddie will require two surgeries. The first, during which her right foot will be ablated (or amputated), is scheduled for October 8. She will spend one night in the hospital as long as there are no complications, of course. After two weeks, she will be fitted for a prosthesis. After four weeks, she should be healed well enough to use the prosthesis regularly, and for the first time in her short life, she will be walking upright on two legs...no more pounding on those poor little knees. The second surgery will take place when Maddie is four or so. At that time, her fibula, which is currently slanted at an odd angle, will be centered under her knee and attached to the very small tibia. The year and a half between surgeries will allow that tibia to grow a bit larger making for a more stable attachment between the two bones. The fibula will continue to grow as Maddie grows, and having even a bit of bone under the knee will help with stability and ease use of the prosthesis.

We spent six hours at the hospital with two toddlers who truly couldn't have been better behaved. Of course, it helps that Shriners is geared toward kids, so the many toys and play areas really helped ward off any potential boredom. Maddie had numerous x-rays taken of her leg and even had to endure an EKG when a heart murmur was detected. No worries though. Apparently, and I did not know this previously, 80% of children have what is called an "innocent" heart murmur which simply disappears over time. With surgery and anesthesia in her near future, Maddie's heart had to be declared healthy, and the chest x-rays and EKG determined that it is.

The staff at Shriners was so warm and welcoming, and we couldn't be more excited that Maddie's surgeon is one of the best pediatric orthopedic specialists in the country.

Richard and I were awed and inspired by the many children and teens we saw throughout the day who are dealing with any number of orthopedic issues. We even met one teenage boy with the very same condition as Maddie's. He had surgery when he was very young, and now, if you didn't know it, you would never be able to tell he has an artificial leg.

I do not look forward to the actual surgery. No mother wants to see her child in pain, but I am trying to keep my sights set on the "after." Richard and I are thrilled and grateful that Maddie has this opportunity, and we cannot wait until the day when she will be able to walk. With Maddie, we are quite sure dance lessons won't be far behind. She's gotten quite good at twirling already, and there's no telling what she'll be able to do once she can actually get up on two feet.