Rylee was just over one year old when we first noticed her foot dragging as she began walking while pushing a walker. We took her for X-rays shortly afterward and learned that she had developmental dysplasia of her right hip. We were referred to Dr. Huff, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Essentia Health in Duluth, Minnesota. We traveled to Duluth for an appointment just a few days later, where we learned that Rylee would need a closed reduction followed by three months in a spica cast. We were devastated, overwhelmed and worried about what the months ahead would bring. Her surgery was scheduled for May 1, 2024, a little over a month after her diagnosis. We spent that time researching, preparing and doing everything we could to make the experience easier for her. As surgery day approached, we were incredibly anxious, but we knew it was something we had to do to give Rylee the best chance at a healthy hip. Rylee did amazingly well and was such a little trooper through it all. Our family learned how to adjust to life in a spica cast, and eventually, it became our new normal. After six weeks, she had to go under anesthesia again so her cast could be changed. She then spent another six weeks in the new cast before it was finally removed the end of July 2024. That day was an incredibly happy and relieving moment for all of us! It took several months for her to rebuild her strength and learn to walk again, but around November 2024, she was walking independently! Since then, Rylee has had virtual and in-person appointments every 3-6 months. We have been carefully watching and waiting to see whether her hip socket would deepen as she grew. Unfortunately, it has not improved enough, and we recently received the news that she will need another surgery. Rylee will now undergo a pelvic osteotomy to reshape her hip socket and provide better coverage for the ball of her hip. Wires will be placed during surgery to help hold everything in place, and they will need to be removed during a later procedure. Because she will have the wires, Rylee will not need a cast this time. Instead, she will use an abduction pillow to keep her hips properly positioned. The pillow may make recovery easier in some ways, but it will also be a completely new experience for our family—we had become experts at life with a spica cast! After surgery, Rylee will be unable to put weight on her leg for at least six weeks. Once she is cleared, she will need time to rebuild her strength and learn how to walk comfortably again. We do not yet know how long Rylee will be out of school or how long we will need to be away from work to care for her throughout her recovery. We hope this will be the last major surgery she needs, but she is also showing early signs of avascular necrosis, or AVN, which means additional treatment or surgery could potentially be needed in the future. Rylee still has a long road ahead on her journey toward healthy hips, but she is incredibly brave, strong and resilient. We know she will amaze us through this next chapter, just as she has from the very beginning.
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