Nate’s Monday Morning Message Volume 1,219
Welcome to this week’s Monday Morning Message! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and that you are embracing the summer temperatures! I want to make sure you know about a fundraising event we are hosting on Saturday, June 8th at our office in Arrowhead Ranch. We have ten food trucks lined up starting at 10am in the parking lot of our office.
Attending our food truck event to benefit Phoenix Children’s Hospital is a wonderful way to enjoy delicious cuisine while supporting a vital cause – fundraising for our local Children’s Miracle Network hospital. This event will bring together a diverse array of gourmet food trucks, offering a variety of mouth-watering dishes that cater to all tastes. Beyond the culinary delights, participating in this event directly contributes to the well-being of the children and families served by Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Your attendance helps fund critical medical treatments, innovative research, and essential support services for young patients facing serious health challenges.
Details are on the flyer below – as you know from year’s past, our support for PCH is something very near and dear to my heart – and we are so excited to have a hospital in our backyard – knowing that our fundraising helped to develop that location makes me proud and privileged to know the impact we are making in our community. I hope to see you there on June 8th (and please feel free to invite your friends and family!) Let’s make it a great week!
ENCOURAGEMENT CORNER
Living with Osteogenesis Imperfecta: Theo’s medical journey
Although his physicians and his parents did not know it at the time, Theo came into the world in 2016 with multiple broken bones. All his mother, Christina, and her husband, Jared, knew was that their fourth child, Theo, was inconsolable, crying all the time no matter what they did to comfort him.
When Theo was four weeks old, Christina heard a loud pop as she was burping him. He let out a cry and his arm went limp. Christina knew something was seriously wrong.
In an Oklahoma emergency department near their home at the time, Theo’s X-ray showed a badly broken arm. Doctors ordered a more extensive series of X-rays that yielded astounding results: 14 broken bones and more skull fractures than the radiologist could count. He was immediately admitted and received genetic testing. Theo’s parents learned that his condition was not a result of an inherited genetic disorder, but a spontaneous one.
Theo’s parents were extremely worried and tried to understand what was happening with their son.
In short order, Theo’s medical team solved the mystery of Theo’s pain and his multiple breaks. Theo was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), often called brittle bone disease. Children with OI can come from families with no history of the disorder.
“This was the beginning of Theo’s incredible medical journey,” said Christina.
Theo’s journey continues
At the outset of Theo’s journey, his treatment was two-pronged. He was prescribed zoledronic acid, a bisphosphonate that helps strengthen his bones, and when he was just 14 months old, Dr. Wallace’s team performed his first rodding procedure. This surgery involved Dr. Wallace implanting telescopic rods into both femurs (thigh bones) to provide support and help reduce the risk of breaks. This surgery gave Theo the ability to crawl on his hands and knees, as his femurs were previously bowed at almost 90 degrees. In addition, Theo now has rods in both humerus bones in his arms, both tibias, and stabilizing K-wires in his left forearm. He’s also had several rod replacements over the years for a total of 11 surgeries to date. Without these life-changing procedures, Theo would be in a nearly immobile state.
“We generally start with the femurs, because in cases like Theo’s, it’s not a matter of if they break but rather when they break,” explained Dr. Wallace. “We want to place the rods as early as possible to avoid a displaced femur fracture, which is very painful. Doing it in the controlled and safe environment of the operating room allows us to provide the patient with excellent care and good pain management.”
For Theo, pain management is critical. At Phoenix Children’s that can include medication as well as such strategies as meditation, distraction tools and coping mechanisms for both the patient and family.
“Theo lives in pain every day,” Christina said. “The first year was the hardest because it was overwhelming, and there was certainly a grieving period. We had to learn to change his diaper, bathe and burp Theo without causing a break and even more pain. Our family was very guarded when he was younger. Over the years, we have learned to help him participate in life as safely as possible.”
Theo now attends school and plays in a special baseball league, using a plastic bat and “running” the bases with a walker. He participates in wheelchair track and adaptive bowling and loves to swim because the water is his “safe space.” Theo has even been skiing, fitted into a protective shell that sits atop his skis.
“Every family has its own risk tolerance,” explained Dr. Wallace. “Theo and his family are incredibly open to new opportunities and ways to embrace living. That’s why I say that OI patients and their families are amazing.”
Source: https://www.phoenixchildrens.org/blog/2024/04/living-osteogenesis-imperfecta-theos-medical-journey
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
“Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.” - Charles R. Swindoll
“There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Home is, I suppose just a child’s idea. A house at night, and a lamp in the house. A place to feel safe.” - V. S. Naipaul
Nate Martinez, RE/MAX Professionals
www.joinremaxprofessionalsaz.com
623-362-3000
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