Sadie Has Confidence, Her Own Sense of Style, and a Desire to Help Others

If there is one thing Sadie likes the most, it is being included in the conversation.

This creative and upbeat 17-year-old has been a Shriners Children’s Texas patient since she was born, and has had many conversations concerning her orthopedic care over the years. Sadie has arthrogryposis, which is a condition that causes stiffness in the joints, in multiple places throughout the body. She cannot bend her knees because of it, and it also affects her hands and jaw. In addition, her arthrogryposis is complicated by a leg length discrepancy and scoliosis. So, mobility has always been an issue for Sadie, who has endured a number of corrective surgeries throughout her care journey.

From the beginning, Sadie has always appreciated the fact that her doctors included her in the decisions concerning her treatment. It is a unique aspect that Sadie believes is what makes Shriners Children’s so special.

“Even when I was really young, whenever we would have doctor's visits, they would always include me in the conversation, which was my favorite thing,” Sadie said. “They always asked me questions and asked for my opinion, because they knew it was my life that they were making decisions about.”

Perhaps this inclusion gave Sadie the confidence she needed to build her creative spirit and her own sense of style, when she embraced art as her passion. She likes to paint portraits of people and capture their personalities in her work. She started painting at an early age and took lessons from a local artist that her family knew. As her skills grew, she started teaching painting to elementary school kids. She is not sure if teaching art will be her career focus, but she likes the idea of art therapy, and she might consider it long term.

Sadie is also a people person, and she enjoys sharing her story with others, especially younger kids. She is always happy and willing to share her experiences with others who might be facing similar issues that she had to face growing up with arthrogryposis.

“I think if I was able to share some of my experiences, I could make other kids feel like they're not alone,” Sadie said. “If they can meet other people that have gone through the same thing, it will make life a lot easier for them, just knowing there's somebody who understands.”