In the United States, 2% to 5% of children develop scoliosis, where the spine curves to make a \u201cC\u201d or \u201cS\u201d shape rather than grow in a straight line.<\/p>\n
Shriners has award-winning, internationally recognized physicians who treat more than 10,000 children \u2014 One of them is 10-year-old Allie Young from Buffalo, New York.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just excited to come here. I like coming here,\u201d said Allie Young, a Shriner\u2019s patient.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not every day that you hear a child look forward to seeing the doctor.<\/p>\n
At just two years old, Allie Young had to be treated for a severe case of infantile scoliosis where her curve was about 100 degrees \u2014 A frightening diagnosis for both Allie and her family, but with treatment from Shriners, she has a positive long-term outcome.<\/p>\n
\u201cWondering and worrying about what would come next,\u201d said Megan Young, Allie\u2019s mom. \u201cWe had a bad experience with a previous doctor, and like I said, once we came here, there was no turning back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Allie\u2019s currently being treated with \u201cgrowing rods\u201d that were placed a few years ago.<\/p>\n
She comes back every four months, where doctors magnetically make them longer to keep up with her growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is scary in the beginning, but once you start going through the process, but once you see how good everything has adapted over the years, you know, clinically and everything, it\u2019s just not as scary,\u201d said Jon Young, Allie\u2019s dad.<\/p>\n
In the player above, you can see the difference between X-rays of Allie\u2019s spine currently compared to how they looked 89 months ago.<\/p>\n
Dr. Josh Pahys, chief of staff at Shriners Children\u2019s Erie, told reporter Jade Leah Burns that controlling her condition this way is a unique and relatively new technique.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe used to have to do small surgeries on them every six months, but the rods that she has in now allow us to do these little lengthening procedures every four months in the office, but they\u2019re actually quite expensive, they\u2019re over $35,000 for the instrumentation, so the Shriners been tremendous at supporting this initiative,\u201d said Dr. Pahys.<\/p>\n
Before the growing rods, Allie went through other options of treatment for her medical plan.<\/p>\n
She started in casts every two months and braces in the summer.<\/p>\n
Then she went through two months of halo traction in Philadelphia \u2014 it\u2019s a device held in place on a child\u2019s skull using several pins through a pulley system attached to a bed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was always very important to us to make sure that she enjoyed childhood, to make sure she was out there doing normal things, and she knows her limits, and if something starts to hurt or she\u2019s not feeling comfortable, she knows to take a step back,\u201d said Megan Young.<\/p>\n
Thanks to Dr. Pahys, Allie said she wants to become a scoliosis specialist so she can help others the way he has helped her.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fun when I come here, I like it. I usually always make a picture for Dr. P.,\u201d said Allie. \u201cHe used to and still does always call me blue eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one of the things that I\u2019m very lucky to be able to do here at Shriners is to kind of watch the kids as they grow up and see them, and they just become a part of the family. It\u2019s been a lot of fun taking care of Allie and being a part of her family; she\u2019s definitely become part of ours,\u201d said Dr. Pahys.<\/p>\n
Those interested in donating to the telethon can do so by calling 814-875-8888.<\/p>\n
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