Marg's Medical Fund
Donation protected
Margaret Drew is my sister, best friend and a good friend to so many. She has had to undergo many challenging surgeries that most of us couldn't even fathom and she faces each of them with strength and a positive attitude.
Marg’s most recent surgery was on June 20th, 2017. Together with our mother, we traveled to Dupont Children’s Hospital, in Wilmington, Delaware to see a trusted surgeon to perform a needed operation on her
femurs.
*Waiting to go into surgery 2017*
This surgery was a sequel to her hip Osteotomies in the 5th grade (year 2000) at L.A. Children’s Hospital to lessen the curvature of her spine. During the Osteotomy operation she had plates and screws put into her hips/femurs for security and alignment. At the time of this surgery it was not known that the plates should be removed within 2 years after surgery.
In High school Marg had her left leg lengthened to correct the difference in length between her two legs at OHSU in Portland, Oregon. At that time, through x-rays her surgeon realized the plates from the operation in 2000 had fully embedded themselves in her femurs. This posed a massive issue because with Margaret’s form of Dwarfism, known as Kniest Syndrome, it is guaranteed she will have to have her hips replaced at least once in her lifetime. So, during her leg lengthening surgery, the doctor attempted to take one of the plates out but only managed to take out a screw before her femur fractured. SInce she would be undergoing the leg lengthening process, he decided to stop the attempt of removing the plate. It would have to be a separate operation.
*Marg after her leg lenthening surgery 2005*
Fast forward 12 years and Marg was faced with needing to have the plates removed from her femurs. So, it was time to bite the bullet and face the unavoidable before her hips got too painful and she would have to have the plate removal surgery back to back with hip replacements. The plates had migrated to the center of her femurs, therefore, the surgeon most certainly ran into some unexpected complications. He had to cut through her femurs to expose the plates and screws and after removing the hardware, place the bone back together. The right side went pretty well in surgery. The left side however, was not so great, as the plates had passed the medial cortex of her femur. The plate was embedded so deep that removing the hardware fractured the remaining femur. To fix this, the surgeon had to place in cadaver bone and hold everything together with a new plate and 7 screws. She will now have to have this removed within 2 years. All in the all, the surgery went as best as it could have. The surgeon took on a BIG challenge and did an incredible job! There was no one else Marg would have trusted and we can't thank him, his team and the hospital enough!
*X-rays after surgery*
Her 4 hour surgery turned into over 7 ½ hours, with 4 blood transfusions. And rather than staying in the hospital 2 nights as was planned, she was there for one week.
I am so thankful for Marg's friend Michelle and Stuart, Alex and Nnamdi who traveled to see her and lift her spirits and support her during the most painful and difficult days after surgery. I had to leave after a week to return to work, which I did not want to do but our mom's best friend, Kim, arrived to help with the difficult days ahead. Marg was discharged to the Ronald McDonald house and from there endured the long flight home. Once home, my brother Alex flew in to take care of Marg for a week, while my mother rested and prepared to go back to work.
Marg is now successfully recovering and going to physical therapy up at OHSU. It has been just over 3 months and she is seeing definite improvements, starting to take steps with crutches, but is still not allowed to bear full weight. Progress is slow but it is progress all the same. Within 2 years she will have to go back and sometime after that she will have her hips replaced.
*Marg walking with crutches for the first time after surgery!*
This most recent operation has been mentally, physically, and financially draining and we are so appreciative of the family, friends, coworkers and her healthcare team who have been supportive with their time and care during this recovery period. Please join me and let’s help Marg tackle some of her medical costs, present and future.
THANK YOU!
Love,
Laura
(Margaret's sister)
Marg’s most recent surgery was on June 20th, 2017. Together with our mother, we traveled to Dupont Children’s Hospital, in Wilmington, Delaware to see a trusted surgeon to perform a needed operation on her
femurs.
*Waiting to go into surgery 2017*This surgery was a sequel to her hip Osteotomies in the 5th grade (year 2000) at L.A. Children’s Hospital to lessen the curvature of her spine. During the Osteotomy operation she had plates and screws put into her hips/femurs for security and alignment. At the time of this surgery it was not known that the plates should be removed within 2 years after surgery.
In High school Marg had her left leg lengthened to correct the difference in length between her two legs at OHSU in Portland, Oregon. At that time, through x-rays her surgeon realized the plates from the operation in 2000 had fully embedded themselves in her femurs. This posed a massive issue because with Margaret’s form of Dwarfism, known as Kniest Syndrome, it is guaranteed she will have to have her hips replaced at least once in her lifetime. So, during her leg lengthening surgery, the doctor attempted to take one of the plates out but only managed to take out a screw before her femur fractured. SInce she would be undergoing the leg lengthening process, he decided to stop the attempt of removing the plate. It would have to be a separate operation.
*Marg after her leg lenthening surgery 2005*Fast forward 12 years and Marg was faced with needing to have the plates removed from her femurs. So, it was time to bite the bullet and face the unavoidable before her hips got too painful and she would have to have the plate removal surgery back to back with hip replacements. The plates had migrated to the center of her femurs, therefore, the surgeon most certainly ran into some unexpected complications. He had to cut through her femurs to expose the plates and screws and after removing the hardware, place the bone back together. The right side went pretty well in surgery. The left side however, was not so great, as the plates had passed the medial cortex of her femur. The plate was embedded so deep that removing the hardware fractured the remaining femur. To fix this, the surgeon had to place in cadaver bone and hold everything together with a new plate and 7 screws. She will now have to have this removed within 2 years. All in the all, the surgery went as best as it could have. The surgeon took on a BIG challenge and did an incredible job! There was no one else Marg would have trusted and we can't thank him, his team and the hospital enough!
*X-rays after surgery*Her 4 hour surgery turned into over 7 ½ hours, with 4 blood transfusions. And rather than staying in the hospital 2 nights as was planned, she was there for one week.
I am so thankful for Marg's friend Michelle and Stuart, Alex and Nnamdi who traveled to see her and lift her spirits and support her during the most painful and difficult days after surgery. I had to leave after a week to return to work, which I did not want to do but our mom's best friend, Kim, arrived to help with the difficult days ahead. Marg was discharged to the Ronald McDonald house and from there endured the long flight home. Once home, my brother Alex flew in to take care of Marg for a week, while my mother rested and prepared to go back to work.
Marg is now successfully recovering and going to physical therapy up at OHSU. It has been just over 3 months and she is seeing definite improvements, starting to take steps with crutches, but is still not allowed to bear full weight. Progress is slow but it is progress all the same. Within 2 years she will have to go back and sometime after that she will have her hips replaced.
*Marg walking with crutches for the first time after surgery!*
This most recent operation has been mentally, physically, and financially draining and we are so appreciative of the family, friends, coworkers and her healthcare team who have been supportive with their time and care during this recovery period. Please join me and let’s help Marg tackle some of her medical costs, present and future.
THANK YOU!
Love,
Laura
(Margaret's sister)
Organizer
Margo Drew
Organizer
Portland, OR
