After only a month of working with Doctora Ana, I have observed 15 surgeries and 100+ consultations, all involving patients ranging in age from 2 months to 16 years old. I am witness to the success of her work, having seen wheel chair bound children walk. Most of the children Ana treats have a rare disease known as "osteogenesis imperfecta." Children with this condition are born with extremely fragile bones that are oftentimes deformed. In most cases these children require surgery, often between 5 and 10 times. Sometimes surgery is done to correct deformities in the bones, and other times it is needed to repair a break or fracture and place a rod in the bone for added support.
The most severe case I have seen in a child was a young boy whose back was curved in the shape of the letter 'C'. In what I would describe as a medical miracle, after surgery his back was as straight as a board. Other times, if detected at a young age, there are other, less severe methods of intervention, some as simple as holding a baby on your hip as opposed to cradling the child so that his/her hips develop properly.
In another case, Ana was able to correct a club foot in a 3 month old baby with a quick and non-invasive surgery. Had this child waited to have the surgery, she most likely would not have been able to walk. Ana takes the time to explain these things to me because she knows that I hope to volunteer as a doctor in Latin America. In less developed countries, these simple interventions are missed due to lack of education, which I find unacceptable. I hope to one day be able to educate others about these and other preventive measures so that every child is afforded the same opportunity to live a healthy life. As part of this, I will be helping Ana to write a research paper for the Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics. In this role I will be helping to compile her research and patient information, in addition to helping her translate the paper in English.