A member of his high school golf team, 15-year-old Carlos will represent Shriners Children’s New England both as a standard bearer and a participant in the pro-am event with PGA TOUR players. Carlos is excited to travel to Las Vegas with other patients from throughout the healthcare system while having an inside the ropes experience at the highest level of his favorite sport.
Born with fibular hemimelia, an absence of the fibula bone in the lower leg, Carlos has been a patient at Shriners Children’s New England since he was just 6 days old. His parents, Carlos and Roz, learned of his condition during a routine pregnancy ultrasound. Carlos was also missing bones in his foot and was monitored by his care team throughout his infancy. At 11 months old he had a Symes amputation, a surgery that involves an amputation of the foot at the ankle joint. This surgery gives children like Carlos the best opportunity to lead an active lifestyle and bear weight properly with the assistance of a prosthesis.
Carlos and Roz felt an immediate sense of community at Shriners Children’s New England. “We enjoyed coming to the clinic for children with lower limb differences and meeting other families like us,” explained Roz. “It helped to see how well their children were doing after having surgery.”
Right before he started to walk, Carlos was fitted for his first prosthesis with the Shriners Children’s Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services (POPS) team. He returned to POPS regularly to assess the fit and function of his prosthesis and receive a new one if needed, most often seeing prosthetist Tracey Sabolevski, CPO. With the encouragement of his family, Carlos pursued every sport or activity that interested him. “We let him try anything he wanted to do,” said Roz. “He learned to ride a bike and was involved in youth basketball, soccer, T-ball, football and golf. We also took regular trips to the pool and the beach in the summer.”
At each POPS visit, Tracey would assess Carlos’ prosthetic needs. “I remember him trying many different sports when he was younger, and his level of activity and growth would dictate what kind of prothesis worked best,” she recalled. “When he got more serious about golf, I fitted him for a foot that would give him more dynamic response and energy return. I’m so excited for him to have this opportunity at the Shriners Children’s Open.”
We enjoyed coming to the clinic for children with lower limb differences and meeting other families like us. It helped to see how well their children were doing after having surgery.
Carlos and Roz appreciated the support they received from the POPS team about prosthetic care and maintenance for their active child. Carlos remembers a time when his son’s foot fell off in Lake George because a screw had become loose. They borrowed an Allen wrench from the hotel to make a quick fix until they could return to Shriners Children’s New England. “We called Tracey as soon as we got home, and she told us to come right to POPS,” he recalled.
When he was 10, Carlos needed surgery to correct the growth of his tibia, the other bone in his lower leg. It was growing at an angle due to uneven pressure on the growth plate. His recovery involved extensive physical therapy at Shriners Children’s New England to get him back to his regular level of activity. While he still enjoyed many different sports, Carlos soon decided that golf was of particular interest to him. He started practicing more regularly and joined the golf team during the first semester of his freshman year of high school.
Being part of the golf team helped Carlos meet new people while also deepening his interest in the game. “I like that golf is a mind game and I can keep building on my skills,” he said. “I’ve also made a lot of friends along the way.”
Roz added, “He earned the respect of his peers and teachers for trying a sport with a physical limitation. People admire that.”
Playing golf with a prosthesis can pose challenges but Carlos has learned how to adapt. “Sometimes it’s hard because I can’t control that foot as well, so I can slip or something minor might alter my shot,” he said. “Otherwise, I’m like everybody else.”
An honors student, Carlos is enjoying the new school year and his sophomore golf season. When he travels to the Shriners Children’s Open, he will walk the course with PGA TOUR players at TPC Summerlin and help display their scores as a standard bearer. At the pro-am event, he will have the chance to tee off with the pros.
To help support this opportunity of a lifetime for Carlos at the Shriners Children’s Open, visit his fundraising page.
