A 13-year-old girl is in need of surgery, but her insurance won't cover the tab.
Jen O’Deay said her 13-year-old daughter Henna O’Deay has always loved sports.
Henna plays volleyball, basketball and softball at Holy Cross Lutheran School in Saginaw.
Now everything is on the line after an unexpected and rare diagnosis.
“I found out I had scoliosis on Aug. 13. I had a sport physical,” Henna said.
Things didn’t look too bad at first, but doctors became very concerned about how quickly problems have progressed by her second scan.
“They found her at 51. By the time we checked with another surgeon on Sept. 4 she was at 70. That’s a 19-degree difference in three weeks. The last X-ray on Oct. 2, she was at 78 degrees thoracic and 42 degrees lumbar,” Jen said.
Doctors told the family Henna needs surgery within the next few months to prevent her from getting something called kyphosis.
“The body starts to curve inward and there’s harm to your heart and lungs as your spine is coming forward and that happens around 80 to 90 degrees. Henna’s is at 78,” Jen said.
The most common type of surgery is a spinal fusion, but it’s very invasive and one that would leave Henna with little to no flexibility in her back – which is not ideal for her active lifestyle.
After a lot of research, Jen stumbled on a less invasive option – another scoliosis correction. She thinks it would give Henna a better chance at living a completely normal life.
“There is no fusion. Her spine won’t be fused. It will be intact. The integrity and flexibility of her spine is maintained,” Jen said.
The surgery comes with a large price tag and one that insurance won’t cover because it has to be done out of state. The family is hoping someone can help.
“It would mean everything,” Henna said.
Source : WNEM, 11 Oct 2018
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