As some of you may be aware, my sister and her family have been on a journey with their youngest daughter. Alex works for a dental group, Ket has her part-time floral business and is a stay-at-home homeschooling mom to Saffron and Garnett. Saffron is in kindergarten and is a very busy and imaginative 5-year-old; Garnett is 18 months old and enjoys pulling things out of their drawers or cabinets and climbing inside herself. They both adore horses and all animals.

Fracture & Diagnosis

Last summer, Garnett's journey took an unexpected turn when she fractured her leg. Since then, she's been incredibly brave, wearing a brace, and learning to navigate her world in a new way.

She has since been diagnosed with NF1, a genetic disorder that will affect many parts of her life; but for now, her tibia is most affected.

Garnett’s right tibia was bowed and “soft” when she was born. When she began trying to walk, at 11 months, the weight from her body was too much for her tibia and it fractured. In the following months, she had two casts and then a brace which she wears all the time. She’s worked hard to learn to walk, assisted, holding her parent’s hands, and pushing things around the house. She makes up for not walking by climbing any chance she gets.

The fracture of her right tibia never healed, this is called Congenital Pseudoarthrosis of the Tibia (CPT). Beyond never healing, her body has tried to fix the problem by resorbing her tibia. This means her body is absorbing her bone, this happens to all of us, but in Garnett’s tibia, there is no replacement bone tissue being built. As a result, her fracture is now a full break with only soft tissue connecting the broken ends of her tibia. She wears a brace to prevent breaking her fibula and to give her tibia extra support for daily movement.

Surgery & Recovery

Garnett is scheduled for a cross union surgery on March 26, 2025, at Mt. Sinai in Baltimore. The surgery will, ideally, fix her leg to full mobility, with no restrictions or risk of fracture to her fibula or refracturing her tibia. This means she'll be able to learn to walk, run, and play as normal.

They’ll cut out all the “bad bone” in Garnett’s tibia, place telescoping rods in both her tibia and fibula, and take bone marrow from her pelvis to reconnect her tibia and fuse the tibia and fibula together. The telescoping rods will grow with her and should be sufficient for 5-10 years when they will need to replace the rods.

We know the recovery will be challenging, but Garnett has already shown us her incredible resilience. Alex and Ket are confident that this surgery is the best path forward for their precious girl.

Garnett will spend a few days in the hospital, with Alex and Ket by her side. Afterwards, she'll face a series of casts and braces, but the hope is that one day, she'll be free to run and play without them.

How You Can Help

There are significant out-of-pocket expenses for the surgery, multiple trips to Baltimore, travel expenses, and unpaid time off work. Any donations will be used for medical bills, travel expenses, or supplementing time away from work. Any donation, no matter how small, will make a meaningful difference. Your generosity will help cover these costs, allowing Alex and Ket to focus on what matters most: their family.

We’re also coordinating a brief meal train to provide practical support for the family. For their hospital stay, you can sign up to have food delivered to their family in the hospital in Baltimore via delivery services.

A Heartfelt Thank You

From the bottom of their hearts, Alex and Ket want to express their deepest gratitude for the outpouring of love, support, and prayers they've already received. “We’re so grateful for and humbled by the gifts, meals, prayers, and support already showered on us by our community. The Lord’s provision over our family and Garnett’s life has been astounding and humbling.”

Contact Alex or Ket if you prefer to give directly.

Let’s rally around Garnett and her family as they take these steps toward her recovery.