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Leap of Faith: Dane’s Daring Journey of Overcoming Perthes Disease

Leap of Faith: Dane’s Daring Journey of Overcoming Perthes Disease

by | Sep 27, 2024 | Hip Disorders

It is always fulfilling to learn about the impact Scottish Rite for Children has on patients beyond treatment. Recently, former patient Dane Hammack felt nostalgic about the care he received at Scottish Rite for Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, also known as Perthes. Dane says his family re-located from Paris, Texas to Dallas so he could receive care here in the 1980s.

“My favorite thing about my time at Scottish Rite was the friends and staff,” Dane says. “I remember sharing a room with a kid who had a spine disorder. We would shoot ice at each other through bendy straws while we were bed-ridden.” Dane even remembers when the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders visited!

Perthes disease is rare and is more commonly seen in boys. Approximately 10 children per 100,000 will be diagnosed each year. Our experts in the Center for Excellence in Hip are dedicated to uncovering the mysteries of Perthes disease, consistently advancing treatment methods through clinical studies. Even now, few doctors have experience in diagnosing and treating Perthes disease. Scottish Rite staff provide individualized and comprehensive care for the whole child’s physical and mental state – an aspect that Dane reflects positively on.

“The staff never felt sorry of my condition, which made me feel normal in a way,” Dane says. “Through the surgery and braces, I was able to get through it all.”

After completing treatment at Scottish Rite, Dane says he was able to enjoy his childhood to the fullest. He was very active and played on his high school’s football and wrestling teams.

“I moved to San Diego to be with my dad after treatment,” Dane says. “No one there knew me as the kid with the cast. I had the sense that I could do whatever I wanted to do.”

At age 20, Dane went to a Dallas military base to enlist in the U.S. Army. For each branch of military service, a series of examinations are conducted to see if the applicant meets the branch’s requirements. During Dane’s physical, his surgery scar from Perthes disease treatment was seen by the doctor.

“The doctor did an X-ray on my hip, and even I was in shock,” Dane says. “I was told I couldn’t enlist, because of the Perthes disease and its damage to my right hip. All I was asking for was to be given a fair shot.”

Dane decided to reach out to his local Senator, Sen. Phil Gramm at the time, and sent a letter that described his situation. “I handwrote that letter with pencil,” Dane says. “I just wanted to get going!” Dane’s letter to Gramm got his case moving, and his eligibility to enlist would be determined by one final task – run a timed 10K.

“My mother always said everything is only temporary and nothing lasts forever,” Dane says. “The worst times you will ever have won’t last forever.” After two years of challenges, Dane ran a successful time and finally enlisted into the U.S. Army.

For 12 years, Dane was in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (Airborne) as a psychological operations specialist and then a jumpmaster. He travelled to many countries, such as Malawi, Namibia, Colombia and Ecuador to name a few. As a jumpmaster, Dane oversaw the safety checks for parachutes and was the first one to jump out of the plane. However, he sustained a back injury after a parachute accident and decided to leave the Army for life closer to family.

Dane applied to the U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona at the age of 32 and is still serving as a U.S. Border Patrol agent.

“Thinking back to what helped me was the people who supported me,” Dane says. “Thank you does not come close to expressing what Scottish Rite has offered me.”

Our patients’ stories are a timeless gift, reminding us why we serve and what an honor it is to give children back their childhood. When you come to Scottish Rite, you truly become a member of our forever family!

Do you have a story? We want to hear it! Share your story with us.

Nico is Spreading His Wings!

Nico is Spreading His Wings!

by | Sep 9, 2024 | Clubfoot & Foot Disorders

3-year-old Nico, of Mission, and his family travel more than 500 miles to receive treatment at Scottish Rite for Children. “We make that effort to come this far, because it’s worth our drive,” Nico’s mom, Mary says. Nico was diagnosed at birth with clubfoot and arthrogryposis — a rare condition that causes stiff joints. Mary found comfort in the arthrogryposis support groups she found online. Her conversations with other families led her to schedule an appointment for Nico at Scottish Rite.

Nico receives care from our experts in hand, clubfoot, occupational therapy and orthotics. Even when he’s facing a challenge, Nico’s joyful personality shines. He is always greeting and waving at everyone he meets at Scottish Rite. “I think Nico is going to grow up to be an entertainer,” Mary says. “He is such a social butterfly!” 
When surgery was proposed as part of Nico’s treatment plan, Mary felt assured. “We were always confident about surgery,” Mary says. “The outcomes our care team told us were always what we received.” Nico has had two surgeries to combat his arthrogryposis: an Achilles lengthening surgery on both legs in 2022 and a wrist surgery in 2023. 

Nico has made remarkable progress, and there is no stopping him now! Mary says she is thankful to Dr. Scott Oishi and Dr. Anthony Riccio for their attentive care. With their help, Nico can now walk by himself. He’s also working with occupational therapists Amy Sitabkhan and Grace Evansco to develop more independence by learning daily tasks such as eating and clothing himself. “I wish I could take Scottish Rite’s occupational therapists back home with us,” Mary says. “Everyone is so helpful, and we are so blessed.”

We like to say all our patients become part of the Scottish Rite family. For Nico, this is especially true. He and his family are now part of our Hand in Hand support group, and it’s been so fun to watch Nico come out of his shell. We look forward to seeing everything he accomplishes in the future!

 

Do you have a story? We want to hear it! Share your story with us. 

A Fab Collab With By Way of Dallas – Building Connection by Changing the Conversation

A Fab Collab With By Way of Dallas – Building Connection by Changing the Conversation

by | Aug 29, 2024 | Prosthetics & Orthotics

Cover story previously published in Rite Up, 2024 – Issue 2.
 
by Kristi Shewmaker
 
Hance Taplin is a connector. In 2011, he founded By Way of Dallas to connect both sides of U.S. Highway 75 through conversation sparked by streetwear that he creates. “I use the apparel as a vehicle,” Hance says. “When we do popups, my goal is to see a Highland Park mom converse with a South Dallas high school football player while waiting in line for the same product — two different people, celebrating Dallas.” His mission is to bring people together, despite their differences, by giving them something to talk about. And now, he is doing it at Scottish Rite for Children.

Last fall, By Way of Dallas and Scottish Rite joined forces to launch a movement about movement, where fashion meets function. For decades, Scottish Rite has created custom, state-of-the-art prostheses for children of all ages, and now, they bear artwork designed by By Way of Dallas artists, athletes and influencers. The list includes Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and photographer Jeremiah Jhass, Dwight Powell of the Dallas Mavericks, artist Temi Coker, and sports and comedy group Dude Perfect to name a few.

“Instead of the narrative being, ‘That’s Johnny who has a prosthetic leg.’ I want it to be, ‘Yo! Did you see Johnny’s leg? It’s so cool!’” Hance says. “Now, the conversation is changing.” Instead of differences separating people, whether that be through age, race or disability, Hance and his crew are creating art that builds connection and community.

“We all have our own prostheses within us,” Hance says, “but through art, we can connect and understand that we’re just like each other. Through this collaboration, we can show people how art and community and culture and innovative design can converge and really make a difference.”
 
Now, patients at Scottish Rite for Children who need a prosthesis can choose a By Way of Dallas design that speaks to them. Owen, Elena and Miles are a few of the first to sport their designs and start their own conversations.

Owen

“Owen has always been a social butterfly,” Amanda says about her 17-month-old son. “He is very active and loves crawling around and climbing up onto everything. We have fun seeing how he adapts and does things his own way.”

Amanda learned about Scottish Rite’s collaboration with By Way of Dallas through a post on Instagram. The collaboration launched shortly before Owen underwent amputation surgery on his right leg.
 
“At my 20-week prenatal anatomy scan, my doctor said that they couldn’t find Owen’s foot,” Amanda says. Later, a maternal fetal medicine doctor saw it but noticed that it was severely curved upward. It was not until Owen was born and referred to Scottish Rite for Children that he was diagnosed with tibial hemimelia, a condition in which a child is born with no tibia or one that is too short. Owen’s tibia was short, and he did not have a functioning ankle joint. In his case, the choice was to amputate or undergo many reconstructive surgeries throughout his life that may not have led to mobility.

“We wanted Owen to have every opportunity to run, jump, play, try different sports, dance — whatever interest he may develop,” Amanda says.
 
“It was difficult to get the diagnosis but a relief to have a clear path forward. Knowing that we were in one of the best places in the country to have to go through this, immensely added to our relief.”

A few months after surgery, Owen received a prosthetic leg with Hance Taplin’s design. Amanda was drawn to the pattern and bold colors. “I chose it because my husband was born and raised in Dallas,” she says. “It was a beautiful way to memorialize the landmarks, and it’s a cool testament to being in Dallas.”

She explained that she used to work for a British fabric company where they collaborated with brands who used their fabrics. “When I saw what By Way of Dallas was doing for these kids — taking the device and turning it into a conversation piece, but not about their disability, but about the artwork — I thought it was amazing,” she says. “I was excited that Owen’s first prosthesis would have this cool story behind it.”

Today, Owen is learning how to use his prosthesis. He stood up on his own for the first time. “We love showing off his tiny prosthetic leg,” Amanda says. “Rather than, ‘Oh my God, what happened to you?’ I want him to feel seen. The collaboration with By Way of Dallas is meaningful to us because Owen will be seen for something other than his limb difference.”

Elena

P-R-O-S-T-H-E-S-I-S. Prosthesis is a big word to spell on the board of an elementary school classroom, but that is exactly what Elena and her mother, Brittany, did the first week of school each year. “We talked about Elena’s prosthetic leg and gave the children an opportunity to ask questions,” Brittany says. “After answering their questions, the kids moved on. Then, she was just Elena.”
 
 A 12-year-old sixth grader from Temple, Elena loves to play brain games, like sudoku, and basketball in the backyard. Recently, she tried out and made the seventh grade cheerleading squad. “We’ve already started practicing after school,” she says.

Since age 3, Elena has had more than a dozen prosthetic legs as she has grown. “When we adopted her, her leg was locked at a 90 degree angle,” Brittany says. “We assumed we’d get her home and straighten it out, but you can’t just straighten out a leg that’s been locked in place for two and a half years.” Through a friend, the family discovered Scottish Rite for Children. “Elena had five major surgeries and got her leg within the first year,” Brittany says. After healing from surgery, Elena underwent physical therapy to learn how to walk with her prosthesis. “All of a sudden, she was upright, off and running,” Brittany says. “It was miraculous to watch.”
 
Now, Elena has two prostheses — an everyday walking leg and a sport leg that she uses for cheer. Shortly after the By Way of Dallas collaboration had begun, she had outgrown her prostheses and needed new ones. After reviewing the patterns, Elena chose artist Temi Coker’s design for her everyday leg, and she let Brittany select the design for her sport leg. Brittany chose Hance Taplin’s art, and Elena approved wholeheartedly.

On delivery day, Temi came to Elena’s appointment to meet her personally. “It was cool to see the person who designed my leg,” Elena says. “I told him, ‘The design is basically me in a leg.’ It’s very colorful, with this color here, that color there and all over the place.”
 
Elena kept the rest of her family in suspense until she got home to make the big reveal. “I like a surprise, and my sisters were like, ‘Show me, show me, show me!’” she says. Brittany added that her friends at school were also excited to see the By Way of Dallas designs.
 
Like her elementary school days, Elena still gets questions about her limb difference, but Brittany says that she has grown into the ability to answer them. They agree, it is better to ask than to stare. “I don’t remember having a real leg,” Elena says. “This is how it’s been for nine years of my life, so it’s kind of normal for me. Most of the time, it’s just me — Elena.”

Miles 

“Miles doesn’t know the words, ‘I can’t,’” says his mother, Angela. “He has always used the phrase, ‘I haven’t been able to yet.’”

An 11-year-old from College Station, Miles was born with symbrachydactyly, a condition that occurs when a child’s arm or hand does not fully develop. Miles is missing his left hand and forearm. His pediatrician referred the family to Scottish Rite for Children where he was diagnosed. “He was born exactly how he was supposed to be born because he has been able to teach so many people how to love other people better,” Angela says.
 
Miles grew up without a prosthesis, adapting in his own way to a life full of activities. He likes to draw and solve the Rubik’s cube. He finished his first season of basketball, and he loves swinging from the monkey bars at a ninja warrior gym. But, he wanted to achieve a move called the lache, where you swing from one bar, which is further than the length of your body, to reach the next bar. “He didn’t have the extra wingspan to hook his arm on the bar,” Angela says. “After trying for years, he was like, ‘I need something to help me reach that bar.’”

Cue prosthetist Dwight Putnam, who was delighted to not only build Miles’ first prosthetic arm but also to fit him with a customized hand attachment that could grasp the bar, making the lache a reality. When it came time to select a pattern, Dwight noticed that Miles was wearing a Dude Perfect hat and showed him their By Way of Dallas design. “The only YouTube video group Miles watches and is obsessed with is Dude Perfect,” Angela says. “The pattern was meant for him.”

 

At Miles’ next appointment, Dude Perfect walked into the room and presented the arm. “I was very surprised and extremely happy,” he says. Angela said that he was so proud, he wore it to school the next day, walking with a little extra swagger. In response to his new arm, Miles says, “A lot of people ask where I got it, say it’s really cool and try to figure out a way to try it on.”

Recently, Miles competed on FOX’s MasterChef Junior, which gave him the opportunity to combine two more passions — cooking and advocating for children with limb differences. “It means so much that I get to represent kids with limb differences, that they get to see someone like them,” Miles says. “But, I think it’s actually more important for people not like us, because we know what we can do. It’s everyone else that doubts us and tells us we can’t. I hope I’m able to show kids and everyone watching that their limb difference doesn’t have to limit them from doing really big and amazing things!”


Learn more about the By Way of Dallas Collaboration.

Read the full issue.

Get to Know our Staff: Juliane Gresens, Registered Nurse

Get to Know our Staff: Juliane Gresens, Registered Nurse

by | Aug 28, 2024 | Spotlight

What is your job title/your role at Scottish Rite for Children?
I am the charge nurse for pre-op and the post anesthesia care unit in the surgery department.

What do you do on a daily basis or what sort of duties do you have at work?
I start the day by getting the kids ready for surgery, making sure we have adequate staffing, and the needs are met for patients, families and our team. I am also responsible for the patients heading to recovery and discharge. I function as a resource for everyone mentioned above, to keep things running as smoothly as possible.

What was your first job? What path did you take to get here or what led you to Scottish Rite?
My first job was a messenger for a law firm in Rochester, NY. Coming to Scottish Rite for Children was meant to be for me. I made a joking challenge with my daughter that I could get a job here if I wanted it (we were on the website and talking about how she wanted to work here someday.) So, I filled out the application and was granted an interview for a PACU position. The director at the time offered me a job the very same day! One of the best career decisions I have ever made!

What do you enjoy most about Scottish Rite?
I love my patients and their families as well as the members of our team.

Tell us something about your job that others might not already know?
It is a perfect fit for me. I get to take care of patients and my work friends when needed. I am a nurturing type of person so it’s perfect! 

Where is the most interesting place you’ve been?
Israel. We went last year, and it was so fascinating to walk the streets of places I have only heard about!

What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play?
I like to run and have successfully completed a few marathons. I also love to watch anything where someone I personally know is playing, and I love to watch the Olympic Games.

If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?
I’m pretty happy right where I am!

What’s one fun fact about yourself?
I have six grandchildren and I am the fun grandparent (we try not to get into too much trouble with their parents!)

How to Help Your Kids Prevent Football Injuries

How to Help Your Kids Prevent Football Injuries

by | Aug 27, 2024 | Sports Medicine

Even as awareness of concussions and other problems has grown, football remains the most popular sport for adolescent boys. While participation has dropped, Texas still has the most high school football players of any state – totaling more than 170,000. That’s almost double the number of players in California, which has the second largest population of players. It’s no surprise that the sport remains so popular in a state known for “Friday Night Lights.” Yet while rule changes have modified risks, football injuries are still common. Scottish Rite for Children has advice to help your kids avoid some of these common sport injury problems.

Common Injuries in Football

Football has the highest injury rate among school sports. Most youth sports injuries are muscle, joint or bone injuries including:

Other common injuries in football are concussions and heat-related injuries, such as dehydration and exertional heat stroke.

Protective Equipment Is Key

Tackle football players wear pads for a reason. If your child is playing on a team that does not have the resources of a varsity-level squad, make sure they practice with the correct gear including:

  • Properly fitting helmet approved by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment
  • Leg (thigh and knee) pads
  • Mouthguards
  • Cleats that are the correct size and fit
  • Shoulder pads
  • Protective cups

Some players may also wrap their wrists, ankles or knees with tape or bracing. Protective braces (i.e. knee brace or ankle brace) may decrease the risk of injury in some athletes. However, custom outer knee braces have not yet been proven to lower injury outcomes.

Practice Makes (Almost) Perfect

Proper training may also reduce injury risk. While your child’s coach determines what happens at practices, you can help your child learn ways to reduce the risk of football injuries all year long by:

  • Encouraging moderate off-season conditioning. Staying in shape throughout the year with cardiovascular exercise and strength training is great for your child’s health overall and may reduce the risk of injuries when they head back to the field.
  • Getting a physical. A pre-season assessment by your child’s pediatrician or sports medicine specialist can ensure that your child is healthy enough to play and raise any areas of opportunity for addressing musculoskeletal complaints before training begins.
  • Promoting hydration. Not only does proper hydration help prevent heat-related injuries, it’s also important for peak performance and maintaining a proper tackling technique. 

Encouraging your child to play different sports during the offseason can also help prevent overuse injuries while keeping them active and conditioned. Playing multiple sports has been shown to be associated with improved performance and reduced injury risk.

What About Concussions?

Whether your kids are linemen or quarterbacks, concussions are a risk during games and practice. Although some full contact drills have been banned from youth practice to reduce concussion risk, 63% of concussions in high school football players do happen from tackling, even during practice. Helmets do not prevent concussions, regardless if they are the best rated helmets on the market. Delaying tackling until the age of 14 is advised by some, however, there are ways to make the sport safer for young athletes. If your child is playing tackle football, make sure the coaches:

  • Limit tackling during practice.
  • Teach safe tackling tactics.
  • Remove the child from play immediately whenever a concussion is suspected.
  • Always follow established return to play guidelines after a concussion.
  • Have a doctor and/or athletic trainer on the sidelines to evaluate players during games after a possible concussion.

Talk to the Coaches

Coaches are an important part of football injury prevention. Before signing your child up for a league, ask the coaching staff questions to ensure injury prevention is part of their philosophy such as:

  • Do you encourage injured players to keep playing or take time off to recover?
  • If my child has a possible concussion, what is the protocol at the time of the injury and when it is time to return to play?
  • Does your child have their own water available?
  • How do you teach sportsmanship and fair play?
  • What type of tackles and drills do you run during practice?
  • Will practice be rescheduled or held indoors if the weather is extremely hot or severe storms are expected?

Only you can decide if a coach’s temperament and attitude toward the game is the right fit for your child — or if football is even a good option for your family. But with a proactive coaching staff, a supportive home and your sports medicine team at Scottish Rite, you can help limit the risk of a sports injury in football for your child.

Want more advice on preventing or treating football injuries for your child? Call 469-515-7100 to schedule an appointment with one of our sports medicine specialists at Scottish Rite for Children Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center.