“I was born with developmental dysplasia of the hips.  My hips weren’t fully formed yet, and couldn’t hold my femurs in place.  I was admitted to CHOA (back then Scottish Rite) in Dallas, TX, and the plan was for me to have 8 surgeries by the time I was 3 to bolt and reconstruct my hips as I grew over the next couple years, and would walk with leg braces from then on.

At 3 days old I was taken to a pediatrician for other complications, and a gem of a receptionist found out I was a Scottish Rite baby like her child who had Down syndrome.  She pulled some strings and got us in an appointment there to try out an experimental therapy at the end of that week, when we originally couldn’t get in until 3 months away after my first scheduled surgery.  At 7 days old I was stuck in the new Pavlik Harness, worn 23 hours a day, and had a standing appointment every week for my measurements to be redone and my harness adjusted to grow with me in hopes my hips would continue to grow correctly.  At the end of the scheduled time, I was x-rayed again and my hips were fully formed and I didn’t have to have a single surgery or any leg braces.

Two years later, my sister was born, and after noticing she was late to crawl, her DDH was discovered, but after her hips had already gone wrong.  At CHOA of Atlanta she was supposed to have a single surgery to bolt down her hips after our parents physically taught her to crawl and walk.  After accomplishing those things, she was taken in to CHOA for her pre-op xray, and her hips were completely healed! The doctor couldn’t believe it, and was sure she had the wrong file to begin with, but we all knew God’s work was in full display in our family.

So next time you see a baby in a Pavlik Harness, a child in leg braces, a parent of a child with DDH, or a CHOA employee, ask them for their story! It will make their day and change your life, I promise.”