Four Surgeries, Twelve Braces and Two Full Sticker Books – Michelle's Story

When she was 2 years old, Michelle was playing in the grass one sunny day when she broke her leg.

This seemed unusual, given her age, so her primary caregiver recommended the family visit Shriners Children’s Portland.

Shortly thereafter, she was diagnosed with congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia, a rare condition that involves a fracture of the tibia that fails to heal properly on its own. Common symptoms include a limp, shortening and bowing of the limb, and persistent pain. Left untreated, it could lead to significant disability, and even with treatment, the likelihood of a fracture occurring again is high.

Michelle had her first surgery at Shriners Children’s Portland, in which doctors inserted a telescopic growing rod into the tibia to grow as Michelle grew. They also took a bone graft from her pelvis to aid the healing process. The recovery process took several months, but Michelle eventually returned to her normal active childhood.

She became a regular visitor to the radiology department, as doctors kept a close eye on her progress. At every visit, the X-ray tech gave Michelle a sticker or two, which she put into her personal sticker book. The unicorns, butterflies and bears she filled the pages with brought her a sense of calm and comfort.

For added protection, doctors had Michelle go to the Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services (POPS) department within Shriners Children’s Portland, where they gave her shoes to fit around the custom leg braces they made for her. “I always walked away with cool Nike shoes that could fit my new brace,” Michelle said.

A couple of years later, a second surgery was scheduled. Another telescopic rod was inserted into the tibia, more bone grafted from her hips, more braces received from POPS and several more months of recovery needed. Her sticker book was getting full, so she purchased a second one.

When she was 13, doctors decided to remove some of the growth plates from her right knee in hopes of allowing the left leg to catch up and prevent scoliosis. As Michelle continued to grow, a third and fourth surgery became necessary. The recoveries were challenging, as over the next several years she had to relearn how to balance as her legs gradually became more even.

Her POPS visits ended with her twelfth and final brace, and the X-ray visits filled a second sticker book. After more than a decade, her time at Shriners Children’s came to an end and Michelle was able to get back into activities like riding her bike, water skiing and being an active teenager.

As an adult, Michelle eventually had a Taylor spatial external fixator attached to her leg. The 20-degree angle of her leg was corrected to one degree, and she avoided needing hip and/or knee surgeries.

“This has not been an easy journey,” Michelle said. “It takes a team to be next to you to listen, stand up, speak up and look at all options.” She wrote in detail about her journey in a book called Through a Child’s Eye.

Today, Michelle is a successful small business owner living outside the Portland metro area with her husband and 13-year-old son. She loves horses and was part of a professional rodeo drill team for eight years.

“If it was not for Shriners Children’s Portland, I would not be where I am today,” Michelle said. “If these steps were not done through my growing years, I might have lost my leg. Shriners Children’s was my angel to help me through it.”

To give back, every year for the past six years, Michelle has held a holiday toy drive that has raised over $8,000 and toys for the patients at Shriners Children’s Portland, where she personally delivers the donations to the hospital.