Meet Mae, a patient seen by our experts in the Center for Excellence in Hip. Learn more about her journey below.

Blog written by Mae's mom, Lauren of Tennessee. 

Mae was only 2-weeks old when we first learned something might be wrong with her hips. We were at her 2-week old newborn check-up and her pediatrician heard a ‘clunk’ during her hip exam. An ultrasound then confirmed that both hips were dislocated, so she was then put into a Pavlik harness. After a day in it, she stopped moving one of her legs, and the harness was taken off.
 
My husband is active duty Navy and, at that time, we were living in Florida. The doctor we were seeing suggested surgery for Mae at just 6 weeks old. We decided to seek a second opinion and I was able to connect with another mom whose daughter underwent treatment for a similar condition at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. When Mae was 6 weeks old, she was seen by Dr. Herring at the hospital's Dallas campus.

From her very first appointment, we knew this was exactly where she needed to be treated.

The hospital staff and volunteers were helpful and loving to our entire family - especially to Mae. Dr. Herring explained the plan of care and we all felt comfortable and confident. Mae was fitted for a Pavlik harness again, and this time it did not cause her any discomfort and she immediately started kicking away! However, the Pavlik harness did not improve her hips and she had her first surgery a couple months later when she was 6 months old. Following that surgery, she was in a spica cast.
 
Dr. Herring, the anesthesiologists, nurses, child life specialists and nursing assistants, all made our stay comfortable and easy. A special car seat was even provided since she would not fit in her normal one with the cast. During the next couple of months, we made two trips back to Dallas for cast changes and she had it removed when she was 10 months old.
 
Mae had a great couple of months and even started walking when she was 16 months old. Our family also moved from Florida to Washington state during that time, but we kept her care at Scottish Rite Hospital. When she was around 20 months old, we returned to the hospital for a check-up and unfortunately her hips were not progressing in the right direction. She ended up having more surgeries, one being two weeks before her second birthday. Although we were sad that she required more surgery, we never lost confidence in Dr. Herring or the hospital.
 
She first had a pelvic osteotomy on her right hip. Then, two weeks later, a pelvic osteotomy on her left hip. The nurses were amazing and made sure her pain was always managed and helped keep her comfortable. Before we knew it, she was back to her normal self and even tried to walk in her cast. She took a few steps the same day she had her final cast removed! 
 
At her appointment this year, Dr. Herring said, "See you in one year, Mae!" Those are words we thought we may never hear. She is now 3 years old and loves to climb, run and ride her pink balance bike. Scottish Rite Hospital put Mae on the road to healthy hips and it means the world to us.
 

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