Year in Review: Shriners Children's Celebrates Achievements from 2022

Sarah is a thriving fifth-grader thanks to the comprehensive healthcare she receives at Shriners Children’s Boston.

She sustained severe burns as a baby and was brought to Shriners Children’s by her adoptive family.

Sarah’s doctor, plastic surgeon Daniel Driscoll, M.D., has performed surgeries to keep up with her growth and focuses on Sarah’s legs and feet. Sarah also has access to other specialists for wrap-around care.

A rare birth defect, fibular hemimelia, has not stopped Tommy from living an active life. This is thanks to the experienced care team at Shriners Children's Chicago.

His parents determined an amputation and use of a prosthetic would allow Tommy the best quality of life.

After treatment, Tommy learned to walk, grew up big and strong, and even learned to ride a bike during the pandemic.

Shriners Children’s Hawaii is the first hospital in the state to utilize the BEAR® Implant for treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, one of the most common knee injuries in the U.S.

The BEAR® Implant is the first medical advancement to enable the body to heal its own torn ACL. This new approach is a paradigm shift from the current standard of care – reconstruction that replaces the ACL with a graft – and is the first innovation in ACL tear treatment in more than 30 years.

This year, Shriners Children's Northern California earned verification as a Level I Specialty Children's Surgery-Musculoskeletal Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons.

It is the second pediatric hospital nationally with this verification and the only location on the West Coast. The Level I verification is the highest of three levels of ACS surgical verification a pediatric hospital can receive.

Fifteen-year-old Owen, a burn patient and double amputee, raised $51,320 for Shriners Children’s Ohio.

That is the highest amount ever raised in the history of the Standard Bearer program as part of the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas!

His philanthropy is second only to his personality. Owen is a confident and enthusiastic young man who is eager to share his inspiring journey as a burn survivor.

Play ball! Charlie hit the field with a customized baseball glove with the help of Scott Kozin, M.D., chief of staff at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia.

Charlie was born with symbrachydactyly of his right hand. While doctors made significant improvements for the use of his hand, Charlie struggled to find a glove that would work for his particular condition.

Dr. Kozin stepped in with a national sporting goods company to create a custom glove that allows him to play at his best!

Charlie’s custom glove gave him the confidence boost he needed to play outfield and second base.

Is there dance after a spinal fusion? Yes!

Kira is back doing the activity she loves most after undergoing a spinal fusion at Shriners Children’s Portland. Doctors diagnosed her with scoliosis and spondylolisthesis. It meant if her spine curvature progressed past 50 degrees, it would likely continue and could affect her heart and lungs.

Since her surgery, Kira has qualified for a competitive dance team and can do the same tricks and flips!

Shriners Children’s Lexington started 2022 with a new opportunity for more kids in their service region to have access to specialty pediatric orthopedic care.

Along with Shriners Children’s Erie, the Lexington medical center was one of two Shriners Children’s facilities to launch outside community referrals for physical (PT) and occupational therapy (OT). Previously, children had to be patients of Shriners Children’s physicians to have access to our pediatric-trained PT and OT providers. Now, any physician can refer children to receive these services.

In 2022, Shriners Children’s Lexington saw more than 4,900 visits in its rehabilitation department. Of those, 169 were from community physicians.

“By opening up our facility to community referrals, we are able to serve a wider variety of patients in a specialized pediatric setting,” said Amy Dail, PT, rehabilitation manager at Shriner Children’s Lexington. “It allows us to provide patient care from specialized clinicians with a passion to serve the pediatric population.”

After competing in the 2020 summer Paralympic Games, patient alumna Dani completed in a new sport for the winter games! She participated in Nordic skiing and the biathlon event in Beijing. But before heading overseas to the games, Dani tackled a few questions from young patients.

Sebastian started Born 4 Fast, a charity organization that brings local car communities together to raise funds for Shriners Children’s. In 2022, Sebastian and his supporters raised more than $19,000, in total, for the healthcare system!

As a Patient Ambassador for Shriners Children’s Southern California, Sebastian stars in the Love to the Rescue campaign and is featured on commercials in both English and Spanish!

Shriners Children’s researchers won a top international award for their extensive, multi-year study, exploring the impacts of a selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) procedure in young adults.

In a collaborative effort, Shriners Children’s Spokane, along with Shriners Children’s Salt Lake City and Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, revealed the results of an in-depth cerebral palsy research study. The study compiled more than two decades of data studying 75 participants from 20 states and Canada.

The rhizotomy presentation won second Best Paper out of 100 presentations at the European Society for Movement Analysis in Adults and Children 2022 (ESMAC) conference in Dublin, Ireland.

It was a fun-filled event when the NFL visited Shriners Hospitals for Children — Mexico!

This was ahead of an NFL matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City.

Patients had the chance to meet retired players, cheerleaders and mascots from both teams. They even put their (American) football skills to the test!

Anezeh Temple nobles were also present to help receive a $5,000 donation for the hospital.

Grayson overcame clubfoot thanks to the advocacy of his mother and the specialized care he received at Shriners Children's St. Louis.

Grayson’s treatment plan, outlined by Pooya Hosseinzadeh, M.D., began with four rounds of casts before surgery, otherwise known as the Ponseti method. This method uses progressive casting to correct club feet by gently manipulating muscles, ligaments and soft tissues around the foot and ankle to align the bones into a normal position in about six to eight weeks.

Today, Grayson is an active 2-year-old who loves dinosaurs and running.

Shriners Children’s Texas broke ground in December on a massive expansion including the addition of a 40-unit house structure and parking garage.

The new housing facility will be especially beneficial for long-term patients. William Phillips M.D., chief of orthopedics at Shriners Children’s Texas, stresses that patients recover faster at home, so the housing facility aims to be a comfortable environment for families while remaining close to regular checkups.

After two years of not being able to have in-person camps, 2022 was the year of their return!

Maureen Johnston, a child life recreational therapist with Shriners Children’s Twin Cities, said, "My heart is overflowing with joy, gratitude and appreciation to be able to bring our camps back, as they are so important to the kids and their mental well-being." Shriners Children's Twin Cities offered nine camps and events in 2022 and looks forward to adding even more in 2023.

Long-time camper AB reflects on her camp experiences this summer, “There is something very special about being around this group that completes me. I will never be able to thank Shriners [Children's] for starting these camps and introducing all of us to each other. It is because of you I have made lifelong friends who I will love forever.”

Other Shriners Children’s locations that offer camps include Boston, Lexington, Northern California, Ohio, Portland, Salt Lake City and Texas, among others.