Differences: The Catalysts to Resilience

When Kaniyah’s mom, Keisha, was five months pregnant, she was told Kaniyah would be missing both arms due to a rare condition.

Kaniyah is a 14-year-old Shriners Children’s Philadelphia patient who is a West Philadelphia native. She started receiving care when she was 3 after being referred by a physician.

But years later, that hasn’t stopped Kaniyah from being a creative teen. Shortly after beginning her treatment at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia, Kaniyah was fitted for her first set of prosthetic arms. She has worked with Luis and Jennifer, practitioners from the Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services team, for many years.

When she was 4, Kaniyah went for her checkup leading up to preschool and was diagnosed with scoliosis. Scoliosis is a condition that causes the spine to curve in a C shape or S shape, rather than growing in a straight line. As a result of this diagnosis, she started wearing a night brace to bed each night to help stop the progression of her spinal curvature. It was an adjustment, as she felt extra confined in the brace without arms, but she grew accustomed to it.

Kaniyah sees Joshua Pahys, M.D., for her spine care. She said that Dr. Pahys is “the best doctor ever.” She explained how Dr. Pahys told her that he had scoliosis too, and that bracing helped straighten his spine. This encouraged her to continue wearing her brace. Dr. Pahys said, “Kaniyah has always been a ray of sunshine from the moment she walked through our doors. She bravely conquers every challenge that comes her way with her big trademark smile.”

In 2023, due to the severity of her curvature, Dr. Pahys determined that she would need vertebral body tethering (VBT) surgery. VBT uses a strong, flexible cord that gently pulls on the outside of a scoliosis curve to straighten the spine. A screw is placed in each vertebra of the curve and then attached to the flexible cord with the spine in a straighter position. The surgery was performed in January 2024 and was successful. “It doesn’t hurt anymore,” Kaniyah said.

Our wrap-around care has offered Kaniyah the ability to see providers that help her receive the care she needs while maintaining consistency with the team approach. Dan Zlotolow, M.D., a pediatric upper limb and peripheral nerve surgeon at the hospital, has also cared for Kaniyah over the years.

Kaniyah refuses to let the fact that she doesn’t have arms stop her from accomplishing anything. She is able to do everything she wants by using her feet, including writing in her academic classes. Kaniyah is in eighth grade and excels in school, where math is her favorite subject. She even made the honor roll.

Her hobbies include gaming, making rubber band bracelets and baking cupcakes. She also posts makeup tutorials to her social media pages, where she uses only her feet to apply the makeup.

Regarding the quality of Kaniyah’s care at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia, it has been "awesome," Keisha said. "Love it here!"