Sadie's Leg Brace

After many, many hours spent in doctor appointments and phone calls trying to get the best type of apparatus to equal out Sadie's legs (until she has her surgeries beginning in 2013), we finally were fitted with and took home a custom orthotic created specifically for Sadie from a Prosthetic specialist.  Before we went to see him, we found a new local Cleveland doctor named Dr. Raymond Liu.  Dr. Liu is wonderful and we really like him so far!  He works at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital.  One of my past clients and now friends is a nurse there and has worked with him, so she knows first hand the wonderful job he does!  He is working on the limb lengthening and special orthopedic procedures only at Rainbow.  He knows Dr. Paley well, and has even completed a fellowship with him.  Dr. Liu can do any, all, or none of Sadie's surgeries, and has stated so.  He can even be her local doctor only, if we choose to do all of her surgeries with Dr. Paley.  We are considering staying in Cleveland for our limb lengthening but have lots of time to still decide what we want to do.


Dr. Liu was able to prescribe the same leg orthotic for Sadie that Dr. Paley prescribes.  Dr. Liu and our Prosthetic specialist who built it for her, both consulted on the phone with the people in Florida who create the orthotics that Dr. Paley prescribes.

Sadie has had this leg brace since May and she does great with it!  She wears it all day at daycare outside of her naps.  We also try to put it on her at home when she is playing.  It really helps her balance and as of July 1st she is now able to balance without holding on to anything for a few seconds.  I know she will be walking in the next few months! 

Here are a few pictures of the brace and Sadie wearing it.  I have found a few sets of fashionable knee high socks for her to wear with it (Our friend Lauren found us a cute pair too!!) and we are considering painting the toenails on the prosthetic foot.  :)  Not only does the prosthetic foot provide her the lift she needs to stand up and have equal legs, but the part that holds the bottom of her foot moves the foot as she moves her ankle, so that her muscle does not suffer from always being flexed if she wore a lift alone. 

First day we got the brace (still at doctor)

 We are set to see Dr. Paley again in West Palm Beach on July 9.  He will do a check-up with Sadie.  I am anxious to show him the brace she has been wearing, ask him about her walking progress as well as narrow down the month that she will have her hip surgery next year.  It will be here before we know it!

This is all just a tiny fraction of who Sadie is.  Sadie is growing into an absolutely beautiful little girl.  She has a sense of humor about her and whether she is opening her mouth to show you her teeth, raising her arms to show you how big she is, or crawling up the steps super fast (we think her shorter leg actually helps climb faster!), she seems to have a very strong personality.  She is also very loving.  She knows Mama and Dada, and enjoys "messing" with Dada especially when he is sleeping.  It is rare that Sadie first sees Dada and doesn't yell out his name.  She absolutely loves swimming too!  She gives us kisses and hugs all the time.  She is a picky eater so she must get that from Mama.  We are enjoying being parents very much and every day just gets more and more fun.  I think that being a parent opens up a part of your heart you didn't even know existed, and I can't imagine any other experience that could be more fulfilling than this.  Sadie is going to be a brave girl to get through the procedures and we will all end up better people because of it!!!