continued from the cover...
Hip Hip Hooray
for Brock
A toddler tackles a serious infection
without ever missing a step.
Dr. Kramer compares the before and after results with Claire and her mother.
In the meantime, Claire wore a lift in her
shoe to allow her to walk and run, as
controller to manipulate the bone three
times a day, lengthening it
well as to relieve any discomfort caused
by the limb-length discrepancy. But she
1 millimeter per day for 55 days. Claire’s
parents found the machine very easy
still had a noticeable limp.
to use and painless for Claire, and were
relieved not to have to deal with the
“People would stare or make
comments, but Claire would always just
say, ‘This is the way I was born, and
the shoe helps me walk better,’” says
Marsha. “Nothing was going to stop
her from being an active little girl. She
loves the outdoors and animals and
even played softball.”
In 2012, the new technology was
proved to be an effective and safe
alternative to the external fixator.
The surgery is less invasive and less
painful, and the equipment is much
easier for the patient to manage. During
the procedure the surgeon inserts a
telescopic rod into the bone. Using a
magnet and an external remote control
to extend the rod and pull apart the
bone allows new bone to fill in.
Dr. Kramer performed Claire’s surgery
in December 2013, when Claire was
8 years old, at Advocate Children’s
Hospital – Park Ridge. Dr. Kramer
showed Marsha and John how to
use the simple device at home in
Charleston, Indiana. The goal was to
add 55 millimeters to her leg, so they
were instructed to use the handheld
external fixator.
“Dr. Kramer is so good with kids.
She made us feel so comfortable and
explained everything to us so that Claire
was never afraid,” shares Marsha. “Dr.
Kramer and her staff are like family
to us. We had been preparing for this
since Claire was 6 months old.”
By the time the lengthening process
was over, Claire’s bone had grown
to fill in the gap making her legs the
same size. She still has a slight limp,
but continues to work on her gait in
Brock Lenzen is everything you
would expect in a 2-year-old
boy. He loves trucks, helicopters,
blocks and cars. All smiles and
giggles, he is a happy, healthy
toddler who climbs anything he
can grab onto and runs around
at near warp speed. But just over
a year ago, a winter cold and
relentless fever resulted in a trip
to the emergency room at a local
hospital that ultimately led to a
serious and scary diagnosis.
“They told us Brock had a double
ear infection and to follow up
with our pediatrician if he didn’t
improve,” remembers his mom
Jill. “He was very clingy, he wasn’t
getting better, and we noticed he
stopped putting weight on his
left leg so we wound up at our
pediatrician