Our First Visit

I am sure many of you are waiting to hear how our day went... so wait no longer.

Yesterday started our venture into getting Diana some corrective surgeries. We visited with Dr. Cummiskey at the Bone & Joint Center of Bluffton. He took some x-rays and told us some of our options. He is a very caring doctor and we could not have asked for anyone more compassionate. We basically have two options going forward. Do corrective surgeries and be in and out of hospitals for the next few years in the hopes that Diana will be able to walk with assistane of braces or other devices. Realizing that in the future she would most likely not have the muscle needed to hold up an adult body in her late teens and have to go to a wheel chair. Or, we could amputate her legs around the knee and be done. It sound horrific I know, but he gave it to us as an idea because it would be one trip to the hospital and then she could be fit with a prosthetic. I am not sure I am keen on this idea but in all honesty might be best.

He referred us to two other doctors at Riley to gather more information. He also is putting us in contact with another family who chose to do the corrective surgeries (their son is now 10) to get feedback from them. So that is where we are right now. We are collecting information. Some of it is hard to hear. We all like to hear positive diagnosis, but in all reality our purpose in the surgeries need to be focus on improving her quality of life and getting her to be able to perform everyday tasks on her own.

We also visited Turnstone Center for Children & Adults with Disabilities as suggested by Dr. Cummiskey. We had a tour of their facilities and they pointed us in the right direction for some assistance. The offer therapy but they are located in Fort Wayne and are a little far to go to on a regular basis. Diana was excited to see their little indoor pool. If your curious, an hour therapy session runs an average of $150. They did suggest contacting the local school system as they should provide some of the speach an other therapy as well.

I am not sure what all the future holds, but everyone who met Diana was mesmerized by her. They all think she is so cheery and beautiful. No wonder she thinks she is a princess. =-)

All in all I think both of us are overwhelmed at just the information we received yesterday. It will take some time to sort through it and make sense of it all. Right now Dr. Cummiskey plans to see us at the end of May to see if we have made any sort of decision on the course of treatment we would like to seek for Diana. If we haven't he will try to answer any questions at that time and try to help us make an informed decision.

So, we solicit your prayerful support in the meantime.