ARTICLES RELATED TO:
Orthopedics

When Marissa noticed her 5-year-old son, Brooks, limping in late 2023, she didn’t think too much of it at first. His pediatrician assumed it might be “growing pains,” but when the pain persisted into the new year, Marissa’s concern grew. After a pediatrician visit in January 2024, Marissa’s intuition led her to push for an X-ray. Having experienced Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease as a child herself, she recognized the signs. Still, his doctors had reassured Marissa it wasn’t genetic. That same day, an X-ray confirmed Brooks had Perthes in his right hip, a disease that changes the hip joint and the way bone grows at the top of the thighbone. “I was seen at Nemours as a child and had amazing care, so I immediately knew we wanted to take him there,” says Marissa. A few days later, Brooks had an appointment with Dr. Mihir Thacker, an orthopedic specialist at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. […]

16-year-old Lucy McCloskey knows what it takes to persevere. As a two-sport varsity high school athlete, she never imagined an injury would turn her world upside down. But after a serious fall during a home game, Lucy was diagnosed with an avulsion fracture of the ischial tuberosity, a painful upper leg injury that left her bedridden, unable to attend school, and struggling to perform even basic tasks like walking or sitting. “It was the worst pain of my life,” Lucy recalls. But thanks to a timely referral from a teammate’s mom, Kelly Quaile, Lucy found herself under the expert care of Dr. Brett Shannon and physical therapist Jeffery Ruth at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. Lucy’s treatment journey began with Dr. Shannon, who took the time to understand her concerns as an athlete. “He explained all the steps to surgery and even made non-invasive routes available,” Lucy says, appreciating the way […]

For athletes like Caroline, injuries can be both physically and mentally challenging, but with a supportive team and the right care, recovery is possible. A patient at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, Caroline’s journey with ACL tears in both knees tested her strength and perseverance. In September 2020, Caroline tore the ACL in her left knee. Then in May 2023, she faced the same injury on her right knee. Both times, the road to recovery was tough, especially when sports had always been such a big part of her life. Fortunately, Caroline had already been a Nemours Children’s patient for her regular well-visits, so when she got injured the first time, she knew exactly where to turn. “It was an easy decision to go to Nemours,” Caroline explains. When it happened again in the opposite knee, she found comfort in knowing she would receive the highest level of care from familiar […]

At the age of 16, elite basketball player K’den faced the challenge of scoliosis head-on, with the support of Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, and the expertise of Dr. Suken A. Shah. “I was experiencing rib pain, and I didn’t know why,” K’den recalls. After a week of difficulty with walking prompted an emergency room visit, K’den quickly found that scoliosis was the cause of his pain. For K’den, Nemours Children’s has always been a familiarity. “I have been a long-time patient,” he shares. “The way they’ve helped me throughout my life has been amazing.” At a young age, K’den received an asthma diagnosis, marking the beginning of his journey as a patient at Nemours Children’s Health. “I was in and out of the hospital seemingly every two weeks because I was struggling to breathe,” says K’den. “During an Emergency Room visit at Nemours Children’s, an X-ray was taken of my […]

For the White family, life has been full of unexpected challenges—but also extraordinary resilience and hope. Three of Seth and Hannah’s children, Samuel, Selah, and Stephen, were all diagnosed with Ellis-Van Creveld Syndrome (EVC), a type of skeletal dysplasia that restricts cartilage and bone growth and is often accompanied by congenital heart defects. Their journey, which began with the birth of their first son, Samuel, has led them across the country to Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, where they found the care they needed for their children’s complex condition. The family’s story begins in Arkansas, where Samuel, now 6, was born. Hannah remembers the uncertainty surrounding Samuel’s diagnosis. “At our 20-week ultrasound, we learned that Samuel had some complex medical concerns, but even after a lot of testing, they weren’t sure of his exact diagnoses,” she said. It wasn’t until after Samuel’s birth that the family learned he had EVC, along […]

Erica and Antoine Shoemate vividly remember the moment they discovered Erica was pregnant with Nia. It was February 2017, and despite a recent visit to a fertility specialist confirming she wasn’t expecting, she received the surprising news. “I was very shocked, confused, surprised,” Erica shares. This was just the beginning of a remarkable journey filled with challenges and triumphs. Nia’s journey took an unexpected turn during a routine 20-week anatomy scan when she was measuring behind. Initially, doctors thought it might be due to Erica’s petite stature, but a visit to a maternal-fetal medicine specialist revealed a different story. Nia was initially misdiagnosed with short rib polydactyly syndrome, and Erica was advised to terminate the pregnancy. “At this point, I felt like I had to get out of that hospital’s doctor’s office. I felt the walls were closing in on me,” Erica says. After receiving the diagnosis, Erica and Antoine […]