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Patient Stories

“We are so happy with Dr. Khoury and what he’s been able to do for our son. He is an amazing doctor. He always treats everyone with respect. We are excited to continue our scoliosis journey with Dr. Khoury and Nemours.” –Mom to Quinn (age 4) Quinn’s mom first noticed something was wrong with his back when he was just 2 months old. “I could feel a bump on one side of his back,” she explains. “I thought it was lack of muscle tone…I didn’t know that what I was feeling was the rib hump.” When she mentioned this to Quinn’s pediatrician, she diagnosed him with torticollis and Quinn began doing physical therapy. His torticollis eventually got better, but mom knew there was still something wrong with his back. That was because Quinn didn’t sit on his own until around 8 months, and he didn’t crawl until after 9 months. […]

Contributed by Kevin Neal, MD, orthopedic surgeon What is the Apifix device that is used to treat scoliosis? The Apifix device has a few different names. It can also be called minimally invasive deformity correction (MID-C) or an “internal brace.” The Apifix device is a rod that is used to straighten scoliosis curves without a major spine fusion. Why do some patients want to avoid spine fusion? A spine fusion is where the vertebral bodies are stabilized so they can’t move, typically with rods and screws. The joints between the vertebrae bones are removed and bone graft is placed to help the vertebral bodies grow together and become solid. Preventing movement of the spine keeps scoliosis curves from getting worse and keeps the spine straight after it has been corrected. Spine fusion is a great operation for many patients with scoliosis. But some patients want to treat their scoliosis without […]

Contributed by Alexis. At the age of twelve when I hit puberty, my back started bothering me a lot. I made an appointment with my pediatrician, where I learned I was developing scoliosis. She referred me to Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, where I met with pediatric orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Suken Shah for further examination. After an x-ray, we found that I had two curves measuring 22 and 23 degrees. A few months later, I received a brace to prevent my spine from getting worse. My scoliosis made my hips so off-balance that it affected my legs. I was also given a lift to wear in my shoe because my left leg was about an inch shorter than my right leg. I was supposed to wear the brace at least 18 hours a day, but I usually wore it for about 23 hours a day. I ended up wearing the brace […]

If resilience had a name, it would be that of 12-year-old Emilee. She was born with a complex heart defect called single ventricle that required heart surgery when she was just 2 days old. Her fighting spirit endured through three more heart surgeries and several heart catheterizations. Her heart surgeon, Dr. Christian Pizarro, assisted by cardiac anesthesiologist, Dr. Ellen Spurrier, and their highly specialized team—cared for her–watching over Emilee day and night. It was a scary and unsettling time for her family, who stayed right by her side. Through it all, Emilee thrived. But her health challenges continued.  Emilee was diagnosed with scoliosis that progressed to the point that surgery was needed.  In January 2022, she underwent a spinal fusion, a major surgery for anyone, but especially risky for someone with a single ventricle heart defect. Pediatric spine surgeon, Dr. Peter Gabos, performed the complicated operation with Dr. Spurrier again […]

Contributed by Vincent’s mom Tamara. When my father died of a heart attack at the age of 39, I was only 4 years old. It was very hard on me and I always feared that I would have a heart problem or my kids would have one. Our pediatrician recommended that both my son and daughter be seen by a cardiologist to be sure that their hearts were healthy. She asked that I get my children cleared by the cardiologist, so of course; I called Nemours Children’s Health, since we’ve had previous appointments there. My daughter and son both had an EKG;  Dr. Steven Ritz, our Nemours pediatric cardiologist, said that something showed up on Vincent’s EKG and that he would need to have an ultrasound. Dr. Ritz went over his findings in detail with us. Vincent was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) Syndrome, a condition in which he has an extra electrical […]

Back in February of 2016, I started experiencing horrible palpitations, and decided one day to go get it to check out. I was immediately diagnosed with (WPW) -Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. After my first heart ablation, everything went smoothly. I was back to doing all the sports I loved like track and cheer! I was living life to the fullest. However, a couple of months later, I started to have the same palpitations, along with being super tired and getting dizzy. The doctor I originally went to had moved away, so my mom who is a nurse, did her research, and we decided to switch over to Nemours Children’s Health.  Seeing a cardiologist there, I had my second heart ablation in December 2016. I was 14 years old and have had two heart ablations! The surgery was quick, and I was told that everything looked good, they said. I recovered perfectly and […]