Patient Stories

Maggie-April’s Story

Hi my name is Maggie-April and I was born with severe bilateral hip dysplasia (DDH). I was born and a few days later I was adopted but with no awareness of what was to come. I was a totally normal smiling, laughing and happy baby for a year until I started walking. I had a limp and a roll to my walk. My mom brought me to the doctor numerous times but they kept saying that the reason that I had a limp was cause I just started walking. When I was two my mom ordered the doctors to refer me to a pediatrician. My doctor said that they would take an x-ray then see if anything was wrong…That night the doctor called and was clearly shaken, she sent my family and I strait to the Children’s Hospital.

My continuous journey started when the doctors at the Children’s hospital diagnosed me with severe bilateral hip dysplasia. They explained what DDH was and that my x-ray and CT scan showed that I had almost no hips at all. That day the doctors and nurses scheduled me for first surgery that would be in a couple of months.

Between the age of two and five I had had five surgeries and about six different Spica Casts for months at a time.

At the age of five I was all fixed and could do anything I wanted. I went back for check-ups every year.

At one of my regular check-ups when I was ten they sent me to get an MRI. My parents knew something was wrong but kept it to themselves. After looking at my MRI my doctors decided that my left hip was slowly dislocating and they would have to fix it with more surgery. I underwent 3 more surgery which included a HUGE Spica cast and very annoying leg difference. My sixth surgery left me with a leg difference of four centimeters. I had to wear a lift on the bottom of my shoe, the lift attract lots of questions and bullies. The lift also limited me only two pairs of shoes over a year and a bit.

I was all done with surgeries, or so we thought until this last April where I underwent my 9th surgery on my right leg. I am still recovering, but am happy that they did this surgery. This surgery has made life easier by fixing the leg difference, they took four centimeters out of my right hip. I now have 5 pairs of shoes and am excited to recover to the fullest!

In my future I will have one surgery next year and hip replacements in my thirties but, I like to live life in the moment and not worry about the future!

I am currently 13 years old and have overcome nine surgeries on my hips. I am very active and love to play all kinds of sports, nothing can stop me and my hips!