Share Your Story: Expecting the Unexpected

Share Your Story: Expecting the Unexpected

Becoming a first-time parent is such a wild ride of emotions. When I found out I was expecting a baby, my reactions ranged from “HOORAY!” to “Oh my!” in a matter of seconds. Right away I felt an intense responsibility for this tiny little baby that I couldn’t wait to hold one day. Besides having gestational diabetes, I had a normal pregnancy. As the days to my due date started to quickly approach, I had this gut feeling that something about this baby was going to be different. Because of gestational diabetes, I had more than the normal amount of

sonograms. During each one, we were told by the technician that, “Things look great!”. Yet for some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something felt off. My husband tried to reassure me, but I felt like my mother’s intuition was already kicking in. I remember after a particularly difficult evening in which I had been craving carbs and a cinnamon roll the size of my face, my husband and I went to dinner at an all you can eat salad bar instead. Previously, we had been saying things like, “As long as he has all of his fingers and toes, we will be happy.” Then in a moment of inspiration, I’m sure as an attempt to cheer me up, my husband said, “Honestly, even without all the fingers and toes, we will be happy.” Then the time came for us to deliver. It was finally time to meet this little baby boy who was about to blow away all our expectations about being parents – in the best way possible.

March 15, 2013, our sweet Miles was born! He came in at a whopping 9 pounds, 15 ounces and was 22 inches long! The first thing I remember hearing was his precious little cry. The second thing I heard was the doctor say, “Hold on Mom, we need to check something real fast.” As she took Miles back to the warmer, I looked at my husband’s face. He was pale white and visibly shaken. His next words, with tears in his eyes, would throw all our expectations out the window. “Miles doesn’t have his left hand,” he whispered to me. I remember looking at him with tears in my own eyes saying, “That was it. I knew something was different, and that was it.”

People talk a lot about “what to expect when you’re expecting,” but not a lot about “what to expect when you hear the unexpected.” Those first few days were such a blur between extreme love and excitement for our beautiful baby boy, mixed with fear about sending our son out into a broken and sometimes harsh world. The initial diagnosis left me feeling immense guilt. As though my body, which was supposed to protect our baby during development, had permanently harmed him. Oh, I wish I could tell that emotional new mom what was in store for her in the months and years to come. If you are new to your parenthood journey, buckle up, it is a wild and beautiful ride!

When Miles was just a few months old, we went to Scottish Rite for Children for his first appointment and diagnosis. He was diagnosed with symbrachydactyly. This diagnosis meant a few things:

1. There was no one to blame. Sometimes it just happens, and doctors don’t really know why.

2. Hearing his diagnosis assured our hearts that he was “fearfully and wonderfully made,” and Miles’s arm is not a weakness, it is proof of how strong he is, that even as a tiny embryo, he kept on fighting to keep growing.

I knew that it was our job as parents to remind him of those things. He is not broken or incomplete in our eyes. The staff at Scottish Rite was so generous with their time and gave us so many book recommendations and encouragement. I remember leaving Scottish Rite feeling as if I had received a big breath of fresh air. We were now part of a community that I never knew existed before, and I was so thankful for it. Getting to attend things like Hand Camp in 2022 was such a beautiful thing because, for one of the first times in his life, he walked into a room and wasn’t seen as different. He was able to connect to those kids in a way I never will be able to, and I am forever grateful for that community.

One of the earliest things we noticed about Miles is that he is an extrovert.

I could give countless examples of how he would try to befriend every single person on the playground or anywhere he found himself. For an entire year in preschool, he was determined to invite the classroom “tough kid” to play with him. It took Miles an entire year of trying, but the next year when that little boy found out Miles was in his new class, too, he told his mom that Miles was the first kid he wanted to invite to his birthday party. You see, Miles started to teach us something from the beginning. He didn’t understand the concept of “I can’t.” He didn’t give himself excuses, and neither did we. He just worked hard and would find a way to do it his way, even if it was unconventional or looked different. Instead of seeing a world full of strangers, he sees future friends. He continues to teach us how we all should love others.

As a parent, I worried about Miles starting school. It is an emotional day for many parents, but I remember how nervous I was to share my boy with the world. Don’t get me wrong, Miles always loved preschool, sports and group activities, but for some reason, this step seemed so big and scary to me. However, I quickly realized that I may be nervous to share Miles with the world, but maybe Miles is just what the world needs more of. I got confirmation of this after Miles had been in school for a few weeks and I asked if he was getting a lot of questions about his arm, and this was his response: “This boy on the playground said we couldn’t play because of my arm. So, I told him, ‘You can’t help how you are born, but you can help if you are kind.’” One of our family mottos is, “Be silly. Be honest. Be kind.” His response made me tear up with pride because at that moment he was living that out.

There was only one time that Miles ever asked for help with something due to his lucky fin. My husband has a 3D printer and Miles had just received his “big kid bike.” He was having a tough time balancing with the training wheels, so he asked my husband to print him an arm to help him adjust. He did. When Miles’ school found out about it, they asked my husband to come and speak to all the kindergarten class about how he was able to identify a problem and fix it. When my husband addressed this room full of 125+ kindergarteners, he started off by saying, “What is something that you notice about Miles?” He was using this as a segue to talk about his arm. But in a room full of kids, they mentioned: “He is funny!”, “He teaches us things sometimes!”, “He plays with us on the playground.”, etc. Not a single kid mentioned his arm. I’m not naive enough to think that will always be the case, but in those sweet kids, I saw Miles was teaching them how not to fear difference but embrace it. We ended up taking off his training wheels, and without the arm, he took off riding on this first try!

We have never treated Miles differently. We have encouraged him and his younger siblings to go out in this world and do great things. You are never too young to make a difference. We remind Miles often that when he walks into a room, people are going to notice him, and we hope he uses that attention for good. Initially, he may be noticed for his limb difference, but I hope he leaves them remembering him as a leader, as a kind friend and as an includer of others. Often, people are going to point out the things that may make life harder. Instead, we hope we teach our kids to use those things to change people’s minds. Showing the world that it is beautifully different, and it needs each one of us.

Miles is now finishing up his 4th grade year! Ten years have passed since we held that tiny little newborn, not knowing the lessons he would teach us. He has taught us how to see the world differently and how to love others better. He now spends his days loving school, doing robotics with friends, surfing, doing Ninja Warrior, rock climbing, drawing and cooking!

For the past six years, Miles has done a birthday fundraiser. This year, he helped write a family cookbook (look up Inclusive Kitchen on Barnes & Noble’s website!), along with designing a “Love Your Neighbor” shirt in his handwriting, and he sold custom drawings to raise money for inclusive playground equipment at his elementary school! He wanted to make sure that every kid in the school felt loved, like they belong and had the chance to play! He, along with his brother and sister, have raised $5,539.25 (and counting) so far!

There are going to be many people that will doubt you in life, but when I told Miles I was doing this story he said, “People are going to doubt you. They are going to try to tell you how you can’t do something. Don’t believe them. Believe in yourself. I like to tell those people, ‘Oh yeah, watch me!’ You can and will do great things in this life. Whether you have glasses, are a wheelchair user, or in my case, have a limb difference, that is what makes the world so beautifully unique!”

DO YOU HAVE A STORY? WE WANT TO HEAR IT! SHARE YOUR STORY WITH US.

Dallas Morning News: This artist went from making sculptures to making limbs, changing his patients’ lives

Dallas Morning News: This artist went from making sculptures to making limbs, changing his patients’ lives

By Marin Wolf 

Read the full article.

Dwight Putnam spends a lot of time looking at the ground. It’s a habit he picked up as an artist, always searching for shards of glass and metal for industrial sculptures that were crafted to make people appreciate the beauty in the mundane.
 
For nearly a decade, the North Texas native hid tiny pieces of everyday life in his art. Now, Putnam, 51, does the opposite. As a prosthetist at the Scottish Rite for Children orthopedic hospital, he creates functional pieces of art that enhance the lives of pediatric patients who are missing limbs.
 
Putnam’s office and work space in the Dallas hospital’s lower floor is reminiscent of an art studio, but with medical-grade equipment and special technology that helps him visualize the artificial arms and legs he makes. He and his team of prosthetists and orthotists craft more than 300 limbs a year, each tailored to the needs of individual patients.
 
“I don’t do too much sculpting these days. Making arms and legs fills that artistic need,” Putnam said. “Watching these patients, it helps you keep your own life in check.”
 
Most of the practitioners at the orthotics and prosthetics department work with both types of devices, creating orthotics to help brace existing limbs and prosthetics to replace missing body parts. Putnam is one of the few who works only in prosthetics, and although he specializes in upper-extremity devices, he works with patients missing lower limbs as well.
 
Putnam spends each day designing and revising multithousand dollar devices that give children the opportunity to fully participate in sports, music and even simple activities, like walking with their friends between classes.
 
Two of his creations belong to 10-year-old Elena Norman, a fifth grader from Temple who had her leg amputated above the knee at Scottish Rite when she was a toddler because it couldn’t straighten and hindered her ability to walk. It was a difficult decision, her mom, Brittany, said, but she can do almost anything that children without prosthetics can do.
 
She spends most of her time on her blue and green leopard print “daily” leg, but switches to her “sport” leg when she’s running on the beach, tumbling in gymnastics or walking miles around a theme park.
 
“I definitely know it’s there, but it’s my normal,” said Elena, who also sees some of Putnam’s colleagues to treat her scoliosis. “I don’t think about it that much. It’s kind of just a part of me.”
 
Despite the central role his artwork plays in his patients’ wellbeing, Putnam is happy to sit on the sidelines.
 
“These kids are so resilient. It’s all them,” he said. “I consider myself their pit crew while they’re out there running the race of life.”

Lending a helping hand

 
Putnum, who grew up in Carrollton, thought he wanted to be a doctor when he was an undergraduate student at Austin College. After one organic chemistry lecture, however, he decided to switch paths.
 
He became one of two art majors in his graduating class and soon found work in commercial sculpting. He made art installations for casinos, event centers and zoos while continuing to make abstract sculptures out of concrete and rusted metal.
 
Putnam said he loved his job and that he got to work with his hands. But after a few years, the inconsistent industry started to take a toll.
 
“It’s very much feast or famine,” he said.
 
In a lull between sculpting gigs in the early 2000s, the artist applied for a job making silicone body parts for Life-Like Laboratory, a silicone prosthesis business in Carrollton. His first patient was an 80-year-old woman who lost her nose to cancer.
 
When he presented the woman with her silicone nose prosthetic, Putnam watched as a weight lifted off her and her husband.
 
“I got to reintroduce a quality of life to that couple,” he said. “I found patients to be a much more appreciative audience.”
 
Over the next couple of years, Putnam honed his techniques using silicone before enrolling in a graduate school program for prosthetics at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He was older than most of his classmates, he said, but his experience as a professional sculptor gave him an advantage with his hand skills.
 
In 2007, Putnam began a residency in pediatric prosthetics at Scottish Rite. The hospital, originally founded to treat children with paralytic polio, is decked out in bright colors, artwork filled with crayons and fish tanks that look like scenes out of Finding Nemo.
 
More than 3,160 surgeries were performed at Scottish Rite in 2021, but the facility doesn’t particularly look, sound or smell like a hospital — a popcorn machine on the main floor floods the place with the scent of butter — which is an intentional decision made so patients feel safe and even excited for their visits.
 
It’s the perfect place for an artist like Putnam.
 
He knew within the first few weeks of working there that he wanted to stay at the hospital long term, so he built a niche making upper-extremity prosthetics using silicone.
 
“We recognized from the beginning that he had this extra skill of silicone prosthetics, and his ability to sculpt was just off the charts, as far as his artistic eye,” said Don Cummings, director of prosthetics at Scottish Rite.
 
Putnam said he’s found that people with upper-limb deficiencies, especially those who were born without a limb rather than losing it later in life, adapt fairly easily to everyday tasks without need for medical intervention. But some activities require extra tools.
 
Over the course of his prosthetics career, he’s made specialty parts as varied as those that can grip a violin bow or act like a springboard to allow a patient to compete in gymnastics. It’s a collaboration between the prosthetist and his patients to make a device that gives them additional freedom.
 
“Our motto at the hospital is giving children back their childhood, and that’s part of what he does. He addresses a specific need that a child has so that they can perform whatever activity it is they’re interested in,” Cummings said.
 
When Elena got her first prosthetic, it was almost immediately life-changing.
 
“It really is miraculous. You go from watching your child only crawl to, just within six days, being out on the playground and she was moving around,” Brittany Norman said. “Dwight gives her life. If she says ‘I want to do this,’ he figures out how to make that possible for her.”
 
A professional uncle
 
Creating a prosthetic limb is an arduous process consisting of little adjustments made over the course of a few weeks. It’s a dance Lucas Stockton knows well.
 
About once a month, the 14-year-old and his mom, Marissa, make the hour-and-10 minute drive from their home in Bridgeport to Putnam’s office for appointments to tinker with Lucas’ leg prosthetic.
 
Lucas was born without the lower half of his left leg, which was amputated by the umbilical cord while he was in the womb. He got his first prosthetic from Scottish Rite when he was 15 months old.
 
“It’s never been something I’ve struggled with,” Lucas said. “I’d be more confused if I woke up one day with both legs.”
 
The prosthetic, made of a top that slides over his thigh and a metal rod that serves as the lower part of his leg, has to adjust as Lucas grows, hence the frequent visits. Putnam can extend the bottom half of the device as Lucas gets taller, and every year or so the high school freshman gets outfitted for a new leg.
 
Making sure a prosthetic matches the exact needs of each individual is critical, especially for people using lower-limb prosthetics, said Elliot Rouse, director of the neurobionics lab at the University of Michigan.
 
“Legs support the body, so that puts them in a different regime in terms of risk compared to upper limb prosthesis,” Rouse said.
 
Pediatric prosthetists have to be cognizant of how much more physical children tend to be than adults.
 
“It has to be able to be rugged enough to withstand a kid’s lifestyle,” Putnam said. “A lot of times with adults, they’re going to get about a five year lifespan out of a prosthesis, whereas kids only get about 15 months for a leg and probably a year out of an arm, just based on growth and use.”
 
Prosthetics can be pricey, costing up to $25,000 or $30,000 for the most intricate devices. Insurance typically covers lower-extremity prosthetics, but coverage for an upper-extremity piece is more likely to get denied because insurers consider many activities to be easier to navigate without an arm than without a leg, Putnam said.
 
Scottish Rite provides financial assistance to qualifying families through their program Crayon Care, which covers either part of or the entire cost of care. Any family can apply for assistance through the program, regardless of income level or insurance.
 
Each of Lucas’ prosthetics — he’s had 12 so far — serves as a snapshot of who he was at that point in his life. He decorated his early devices with characters from his favorite shows, like Thomas the Tank Engine and SpongeBob SquarePants. His current leg has a subtle wood paneling pattern under stickers from bands and vacation spots.
 
Making prosthetics their own can be an important way for patients to feel involved in their health care. Norman, who is in the process of getting a new sport leg, chose a sea turtle design, although she’s already eyeing a Harry Potter-themed pattern for her next device.
 
While routinely visiting a hospital as a child could be a nuisance at best and scary at worst, Lucas said he feels comfortable at Scottish Rite, especially because he gets to visit with Putnam, whom he calls “Dr. Dwight.”
 
“It’s become routine,” Marissa Stockton said as she pulled up a photo on her phone of her son and Putnam hugging at an appointment eight years ago.
 
The prosthetist is a constant in his patients’ lives. After seeing Putnam for eight years, Elena even said she considers him “her best friend.”
 
“I become part of their extended family,” Putnam said. “It’s like I’m a professional uncle.”
 
Putnam gets a unique front-row seat to watch some of his patients grow up and develop their personalities.
 
Lucas has taken to writing and drawing. Other patients have found their passion in sports, including one cheerleader who invited Putnam to one of her games so he could see the prosthetic he created in action.
 
“It’s inspiring,” he said. “They show their thankfulness by going out and being kids.”

Get to Know our Staff: Rhae Kiessling, Orthotics & Prosthetics

Get to Know our Staff: Rhae Kiessling, Orthotics & Prosthetics

What is your job title/your role at Scottish Rite for Children?  
I work directly with patients to assess their musculoskeletal needs and design prosthetic and orthotic devices that will enhance a sector of their lives. An orthosis acts upon a bone or joint that is existent on the patient, whereas a prosthesis substitutes for a bone or joint that is missing. A majority of orthotic and prosthetic devices assist with ambulation, but we also correct flexible bony deformities, provide function in upper extremities and protect sites of injury as well. 

What do you do on a daily basis or what sort of duties do you have at work? 
Our weeks vary, day to day. Some days I am in the O&P department all day, completing patient assessments, designing and fabricating devices and delivering the devices to the patient. Other days, I spend time with the physicians and their teams in clinic as a support staff member. It’s nice for them to have a dedicated O&P clinician to ensure the flow of clinic goes smoothly, and all orthotic and prosthetic questions are addressed immediately as they may come up. 

What was your first job? What path did you take to get here or what led you to Scottish Rite? How long have you worked here? 
It’s such a small world, and the world works in mysterious ways. My first job was in teaching. I was teaching biology and chemistry at a high school in Richardson, Texas, and attended a seminar titled “Women in Science,” with a group of students. The seminar was intended as motivation for female students to major in science disciplines and to explore the many careers that can come out of a science degree. We learned about the field of Orthotics and Prosthetics and I, as the teacher in charge, was actually so moved to learn more about this field that this seminar changed MY life. I still remember turning to my colleague that day at lunch and saying “I think I’m actually going to change everything and become one of these people…” I googled “kids” and “orthotics and prosthetics” and Scottish Rite came up. That summer while I wasn’t teaching, I volunteered over 200 hours at Scottish Rite. Completely coincidentally, the O&P director’s daughter was a student at my school in Richardson and taking chemistry classes that year. I applied to one O&P school – UT Southwestern School of Health Professions in Dallas, was accepted and my life changed. Working with kids is something I enjoyed long before my time here at Scottish Rite. What a wonderful blending of my O&P career and my passion for kids this institution allows me. I have been on staff here for two years now.

What do you enjoy most about Scottish Rite?
The population. I worked in a small, adult, private sector before coming to Scottish Rite. While serving the community is my number one motivation in any regard, I have always had a passion for changing the life of a child. Having a job in this institution lights me up every day. I see the resilience of the kids, but I also form relationships with the parents, who are so humbled and appreciative of every aspect of this organization. The people around me are the best part of my job. My favorite O&P projects are scoliosis braces and lower limb prostheses. 

What do you wish you knew more about?
A lot! I don’t know, maybe Paralympic Sports? I haven’t broken into that yet. That would be where the orthopedic patient becomes the athlete. This is where my skills in orthotics/prosthetics and my side interest of elite athletes would blend. I am excited to take the first step in participating in the Endeavor Games this year, which I have never done before. These games are a wonderful platform for our O&P patients to compete in a three-day sporting event. 

Where is the most interesting place you’ve been?
Germany. I have visited many times because my grandparents, aunts and uncles are German. They have a beautiful home in a small German village, it’s everything you would think of straight out of a book. I have been trying to get back with my husband and two kids to show them what it’s like to live in Europe, but the pandemic has made this very difficult. Hopefully we will be able to go this year! 

What would you rate 10/10?
God is 10/10. “Trust in the Lord with all your Heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Is there anything that are you looking forward to in 2022?
I look forward to growing as a clinician in our O&P department. I am working to get better at what I do and be more involved. I look forward to my two boys growing and learning, as they are about to start elementary school. I am excited for my husband and the journey he is on. And I look forward to the coronavirus being a virus that is easily managed and a threat of the past. 

Fully Equipped Orthotics & Prosthetics Lab Located at our Frisco Campus

Fully Equipped Orthotics & Prosthetics Lab Located at our Frisco Campus

At Scottish Rite for Children, providing convenient, world-class care is at the forefront of our mission. Whether a common or complex condition, having a team of experts dedicated to every aspect of your child’s care is necessary to get them back to doing what they love. This type of approach has been present at the Dallas campus for 100 years and has extended to the facility in Frisco.
The Orthotics & Prosthetics (O&P) lab in Frisco is fully equipped with state-of-the-art machines and tools to build and fit custom prostheses/orthoses. Learn more about the team and the service they provide to children and young athletes.

Take a tour of the lab.

What is the benefit of having O&P in Frisco?

  • It provides our patients and families another access point. Having the Frisco campus allows us to care for more patients to get them back to being active.
  • Our doctors have the opportunity to work closely with the O&P team to make sure each device or brace fits just right for the patient.
  • It brings more research and innovation to the campus.
  • The convenience of same day fitting.

What are the most common patients seen for O&P in Frisco?

  • Scoliosis
  • Sports medicine
  • Neurology

As the anchor at the Frisco campus, what advantages does O&P bring to sports medicine patients?

  • Custom fitting for braces
    • Depending on the goals of the young athlete, the orthotist will work with the doctor to determine the best type of brace.
    • Functional knee braces, like the unloader brace, allows an athlete to be active while wearing the brace.
  • Foot orthoses – custom to the need of the patient

Learn more about Orthotics & Prosthetics.