While the EDF cast wasn’t ideal, it did help Isabelle to understand the importance of her brace and how much better it is compared to the cast. There have been one or two times where she’ll say I don’t want my brace on. But most of the time, you just remind her of the EDF cast and she puts it straight on.”
However, spinal bracing doesn’t come without its drawbacks. When compared to the EDF cast, it is a lot more time-consuming to don and doff every day. However, Teresa is positive that the benefits largely outweigh any negatives. A “5 more minutes on the iPad” bribe every now and then is worth the increased quality of life Isabelle now gets to experience every day.
The turning point
Isabelle is now 6 years old and the reality of regular spinal surgery is looming closer... or so they thought. In a recent checkup, Kate was able to confirm that the results from the Steeper made-to-measure spinal bracing treatment have been so successful that she no longer needs the growing rods! Elated with the news, Teresa explained,
“To insert growing rods, they would need to surgically screw rods onto her spine and every six months, they have to open it back up and lengthen them so she can grow with it. It’s very invasive. I know she will probably still need the final spinal fusion at some point, but to know that the treatment has been that effective, that she doesn’t need to go through a large majority of those traumatic surgeries, is just fantastic!”
An active spirit, Isabelle enjoys anything outdoors - football, playgrounds, monkey bars, and the trampoline just to name a few. Since moving into her brace, she has been progressively enhancing her running skills and takes inspiration from the world’s fastest sprinter, Usain Bolt, who also has scoliosis. Swimming is her all-time favourite activity, but due to multiple casts and the COVID-19 pandemic, she hasn’t had many opportunities to learn to swim. But now that she has more freedom, she’s determined to achieve the goal of swimming independently.
Teresa finished by saying,
“I would like to say thank you. We feel very lucky to have met Kate when we did because this has been life-changing for Isabelle and for us as a family. For other parents going through this with their child, I’d say seek other opinions and give different things a go!”
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