Ayden's New Spine

Ayden's journey to get his back straight has been a long one with many ups and downs but that journey has reached an end and he will be having final fusion of his spine on Friday, August 13, 2021.  During this surgery the surgeon will try to get the most correction possible to his spine but it will also mean his spine will no longer grow.

A little about this year

This year has been the most challenging.  Towards the end of last year we started seeing a new orthopedic surgeon due to our current one retiring. The new surgeon informed us that the growing rod in Ayden's back had failed and his proposal was for us to move to TX and have Ayden go through a treatment called Halo Gravity Traction. In January of this year we, wanting the best for Ayden, temporarily moved the whole family to TX so he could do the treatment.  February 4th he had surgery to remove the rod that failed and implant the halo to his head.  He was admitted to the hospital and stayed there with mom while I stayed at a rental with Aowyn.  There were so many challenges while we were in TX, including the crazy winter storm that left so many without power including ourselves.  We all persevered through it all but at the end of the couple months the treatment was not having the effects they wanted so we moved back to AZ to find other options while Ayden s continued traction but from home.  Within two weeks of being home we were able to find a new orthopedic surgeon from Phoenix Children's Hospital.  He met with us and Ayden, reviewed his charts and x-rays, and determined that removing the halo and having final fusion of the spin was the only possible course.  In the middle of June the surgeon removed the halo and scheduled Ayden's final fusion surgery for August.  During this time my sister, Angela, let us know about a therapy that had promising results called myofascial tissue release. There was an office in Sedona that came highly recommended but was incredibly expensive due to insurance not covering the therapy.  We knew we needed to do everything we could for Ayden so we borrowed money from family and moved to Sedona for 3 weeks so Ayden could have this therapy done. The therapy caused quite a bit of pain but the results were great and we are hopeful that his spine is now more flexible which will allow the surgeon to get the highest amount of correction when doing the final fusion.

This has been an emotional journey and has been financially difficult as well. We will continue to do all we can for Ayden and appreciate any and all help we have gotten from family and friends. Please continue to pray for Ayden.