Price Transparency
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.

Mastering Daily Tasks To Help Others Feel Their Best

Mastering Daily Tasks To Help Others Feel Their Best

by | Jul 12, 2024 | Neurology

Previously published in Rite Up, 2024 – Issue 2.

Fifteen-year-old Zion, of Glenn Heights, is preparing to become an esthetician when she graduates from high school. Her mother, Tiffany, bought her a mannequin that she uses to practice giving facials and applying makeup. “I want to make people feel good about themselves,” Zion says. “Being an esthetician will help people relax.” Recently, Zion brought her mannequin to Scottish Rite where she works with occupational therapist Lucy Ericson on mastering a host of daily activities.

Zion has cerebral palsy (CP) and has received care at Scottish Rite for Children since she was 10, after her family moved to Texas from Arizona. CP is the most common childhood disorder that affects muscles and movement. Zion’s symptoms impact her mobility, muscle coordination, flexibility and posture.

“It’s hard to walk around the mall, our neighborhood or around school because classes aren’t close together,” Zion says. She uses a wheelchair for long distances. “Sometimes, I force myself to walk, but I get very tired.” She also finds it challenging to do things with her right hand, like twisting open a jar, pouring juice or writing essays. “It’s hard keeping my hand straight,” she says, “but that’s why we go to Lucy.”

In occupational therapy, Zion works through a list of tasks that she conquers one by one. Lucy has helped her find creative ways to brush her teeth, wash her skin, cook food, open a pill bottle, roll her wheelchair by herself, get binders in and out of her backpack, put on earrings and apply makeup, like eye shadow and lip gloss. “It makes me feel really good,” Zion says. “I never thought I was going to be able to do all that stuff by myself.”

As tasks get easier for Zion to achieve, she prepares for her future as an esthetician. “Zion wants to be ready when she graduates so there aren’t any barriers,” Tiffany says. In a session with Lucy, Zion massages the mannequin’s face with shaving cream. “We’re not using the high-end stuff on a mannequin,” Tiffany says, laughing, but then, her tone turns bittersweet as she considers the years they have spent at Scottish Rite. “They make us feel like we are part of one big family,” she says. Zion underscores how much it means to her. “I really love, gosh, all the people,” she says. “I couldn’t imagine myself being able to do what I can do without Scottish Rite’s help.”

Read the full issue.

Standing Tall After Spinal Fusion Surgery

Standing Tall After Spinal Fusion Surgery

by | Jun 27, 2024 | Scoliosis & Spine

Previously published in Rite Up, 2024 – Issue 2.

In January of 2023, Delilah, a 12-year-old from San Antonio, was helping her mother, Angie, clean the house. As Delilah bent over to pick up something off the floor, Angie noticed that her backbone protruded from her back at an abnormal angle. “It caught me off guard,” Angie says. She called her husband into the room and asked Delilah to repeat the movement. He looked at Angie with wide eyes and said, “What was that?”

Delilah’s pediatrician suspected scoliosis and referred the family to an orthopedic physician.

“After taking an X-ray, he gave us the news that her spine was at an 84 degree angle,” Angie says. “Delilah and I had tears in our eyes.” Angie explained that because of the curves magnitude, the physician said that he would feel more comfortable recommending them to Scottish Rite for Children. “We had never heard of Scottish Rite, but it was the best advice and decision we ever made,” Angie says.

At Scottish Rite, pediatric orthopedic surgeon Megan E Johnson, M.D., diagnosed Delilah with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, of which there is no known cause. Because her curve had surpassed the surgical magnitude of 50 degrees, Dr. Johnson recommended posterior spinal fusion, a surgery in which a rod is secured to the vertebrae to straighten the spine and hold the correction of the curve in place.

“Scoliosis progresses more rapidly when kids are undergoing their big growth spurt,” Dr. Johnson says.

“Delilah still had a lot of growth left, so she was at a greater risk of progression.”

Before surgery, Delilah asked thoughtful questions and expressed some worries. “I had a fear of like, what if I wake up during surgery?” she says. “And, what if it doesn’t turn out right, or what if they miss something?” Dr. Johnson marveled at Delilah’s maturity. “For being 11 at the time, Delilah asked great questions, advocated for herself and did her own research,” she says.

In October, the family traveled to Dallas for Delilah’s surgery and stayed at the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas, Scottish Rite’s community partner. “They took such good care of my family,” Angie says. “I’m very grateful for that.” After a successful surgery, Delilah’s curve was corrected from 95 to 20 degrees. She also got two inches taller. “Delilah exceeded our expectations,” Dr. Johnson says. “She has been a champ through it all.” Six months later, Angie cannot believe that Delilah had spinal surgery. “It boggles the mind because she’s back to being herself,” she says. “For us, Scottish Rite means hope, that everything is going to be OK.” Delilah agrees. “You can trust Scottish Rite,” she says, “and know that you are in great hands.”

Read the full issue.

Beating Scleroderma and Actualizing Invention With Grit

Beating Scleroderma and Actualizing Invention With Grit

by | May 13, 2024 | Rheumatology

Previously published in Rite Up, 2024 – Issue 1.

Lino is an inventor who is set on changing the world. “Problems without solutions inspire me to invent,” he says. “I’ve been tinkering with stuff since I was little, but I didn’t realize all this problemsolving was called inventing until I was in the fourth grade.” That was when Lino, of Frisco, invented the String Ring, an adjustable band worn as a ring that protects your finger while playing a stringed instrument. Lino played the cello and wanted to find a way to keep his fingers from blistering without changing the sound. “When you finally solve a problem that is personal to you and that affects a lot of other people, it’s the best feeling in the world,” he says.
 
His mother, Sharon, says that Lino has never met a challenge he does not want to conquer. “Lino is kind, smart and positive, but ‘grit’ is the perfect word for him in everything he does — at school, in sports and through his journey at Scottish Rite,” she says. “How he handled his diagnosis is how he handles his inventions.”

When Lino was 12, his hands began swelling. He could not make a fist, and when it got cold, his hands changed colors, turning red, even purple. His pediatrician referred him to Scottish Rite for Children where he was evaluated by orthopedic hand surgeon Chris Stutz, M.D. Dr. Stutz found nothing wrong with the bones in his hands but suspected a rheumatic condition and referred him to rheumatologist Lorien A. Nassi, M.D.

Dr. Nassi diagnosed Lino with juvenile systemic scleroderma, a rare, chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system causes inflammation and tissue changes that lead to a tightening and thickening of the skin. The condition affects approximately 3 per 1 million children. There is no cure, and it can progress, affecting the internal organs, such as the heart, lungs and kidneys.

“It felt like an out-of-body experience,” Sharon says. “We walked in with a healthy child, and all of a sudden, we got a diagnosis of something we didn’t understand.” Dr. Nassi and her team, including a psychologist and a child life specialist, consulted with the family, explaining that Lino would need to take a weekly injection. “They told him not to search it on Google,” Sharon says, “that he could take the day off from school, but he was like, ‘No, I have to go to school. I have to give a presentation.’”
 
Lino began taking injections as well as receiving physical and occupational therapy to increase manual dexterity, flexibility and range of motion. “The hardest part was getting the injections and then learning how to administer them myself,” Lino says. “I didn’t like needles, but I got over that, and I feel better now that I’m doing it myself because I feel more in control.”
 
After four years, Dr. Nassi is tapering off the medication. “Lino has had a remarkable trajectory,” she says. “Unfortunately, so often rheumatology diagnoses are only seen as severe, lifelong conditions with significant limitations. I love that Lino shows us that even some of the more serious rheumatologic diagnoses can have great outcomes.”
 
Lino hopes to finish treatment this summer. “I’m lucky they caught it so early, and now it’s better,” he says. “I’m really thankful for that.”
 
“We will be forever grateful to Scottish Rite, Dr. Nassi and Dr. Stutz for diagnosing Lino right away,” Sharon says. “Thanks to them, against many odds, Lino has no moresymptoms and will be medicine-free, an outcome that is as rare as the disease itself.”

But, Lino does not want his success story to be a rarity. He is pursuing becoming a scleroderma advocate who shares his story, creating awareness to raise funds for research, and one day, a cure. He aims to ensure that other kids find the right doctors, get diagnosed early and know that there is hope.

Scleroderma has not stifled Lino’s creativity. By the time he was in eighth grade, he had masterminded four inventions. His most recent — Kinetic Kickz 2.0 — has a patent pending. An improvement on his original Kinetic Kickz, 2.0 is a shoe with a generator built into the sole that collects energy from walking, allowing the wearer to power a device with their shoe. The idea came to him one day after school on the soccer field. He needed to call his mom to come pick him up, but his phone was dead, and he did not have a charger. “I spent months trying to light an LED bulb to prove that I could create enough energy to charge something,” he says.

Invention Convention Worldwide recognized Lino’s genius, awarding him first place in his age group for Kinetic Kickz 2.0 at the 2021 Globals competition presented by Raytheon® Technologies, now RTX. TIME magazine noticed and selected him as a 2021 Kid of the Year finalist.

The 17-year-old continues to improve his inventions as he conceives of new ones. His Scottish Rite journey has inspired him to consider medical-based inventions, and he is debating whether he wants to be a doctor or an engineer. “I’m not sure yet,” Lino says, “but I am sure of one thing. I want to be a world-changer — someone who helps make the world a better place through their actions, or for me, through my inventions.”

Read the full issue.

A Newfound Freedom to Walk

A Newfound Freedom to Walk

by | Nov 6, 2023 | Prosthetics & Orthotics

KaDeyja, of San Antonio, enjoys watching Cocomelon® and listening to her favorite song, “The Wheels on the Bus.” During her physical therapy session at Scottish Rite for Children, this animated music video set the tone, creating a playful atmosphere and soundtrack to a pivotal day in her life. At 16 months old, KaDeyja achieved a milestone that any doting parent would record in a baby book — taking her first step. But for KaDeyja and her parents, this accomplishment was extraordinary.

KaDeyja was born with limb differences affecting her right arm, left hand and both legs. Hand surgeon and Director of the Center for Excellence in Hand, Scott Oishi, M.D., FACS, manages the treatment plan for her hand. Chief of Staff Emeritus J. A. “Tony” Herring, M.D., manages the treatment plan for her legs.
 
“In the beginning, she couldn’t roll over,” Stephanie, her mother, says. Later, she had difficulty sitting up and keeping her balance. “We would prop her up with a Boppy® pillow,” she says. For many months, Stephanie carried her everywhere. Eventually, KaDeyja figured out how to sit up and maneuver on her own by scooting on her bottom.

When KaDeyja was developmentally ready to begin walking, Director of Prosthetics Don Cummings, C.P., L.P., fitted her for two prosthetic legs. And then, the big day arrived. KaDeyja tried out her new legs with assistance from physical therapist Megan Mendoza. Pushing a baby doll in a shopping cart, KaDeyja took one step and then another.
 
“When she took her first step, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s doing it!’” Stephanie says. “It was very emotional.” With focus and determination, KaDeyja was walking. Every step was a triumph. As the medical team cheered her on, she walked over to each person in the room and gave them a high five.
 
“Scottish Rite for Children has given us hope,” Stephanie says. “It’s a forever kind of journey at Scottish Rite. They are a piece of our family.”
 
Read the full issue.