Medical expenses for the continued care of Keira.

Hi my name is Amy Ellis and I have the pleasure of working with Amanda Holzman. Please see the story below about Keira Holzman and her story.

Keira came to us one day with her knee so swollen she could

not bend it. We thought she fell and incurred an injury. We took

her to the Dr. who ordered X-rays. When that didn’t show any

issues, we went for an MRI where we found out quickly that anesthesia made her very sick! Rainbow Babies was our main source of diagnostic testing at this point to try to figure out what was going on. It took a year for the Drs. at Rainbow’s to diagnose Keira. We were told it was a vascular malformation similar to klippel trenaunay weber syndrome. We were told that what they thought Keira had was extremely rare and they have never seen a case like hers. We decided to go for a 2nd opinion.

We choose Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital because they have one of the best vascular anomaly clinics in the nation. Here, we met Dr. Patel, Dr. McCarthy, and Dr. Sorger, as well as other Drs. in the Clinic. Dr. Patel shared that what Keira had was an arteriovenous malformation in her entire left extremity with a nitrous point in her knee joint and intertwined with her quad muscle, making it inoperable. Thus began a long 5 year treatment plan. Due to her condition, arterial blood was pulsating through her knee and not able to have a clear flow, causing blood pools and backups. This issue will eventually cause heart complications and we had to watch that very carefully with Echocardiograms and EKG’s. Also due to her condition, her left leg grew faster than her right, causing gait, hip, and spine issues. We began physical therapy, Pain Clinic, a therapist, prescription compression tights, lifts in her shoes, and 2-3 surgeries a year to hopefully reduce pain and reroute blood flow. None of which seemed to be working. Her left foot started

showing a malformation in her lymphatic system and her foot became so puffy and began leaking fluid. We could not find shoes that would fit. Her leg and foot were so sensitive that a mere touch would send her into a crying fit of pain. Keira started retreating into herself as she became less active and more self aware of her medical condition and its limitations. A more intensive solution became necessary.

The decision was made to amputate her left leg to mid thigh. While she will still have the malformation in her upper left extremity, the painful and harmful parts of her leg would be eliminated. Her heart would be healthy, hips and spine would hopefully realign, and her quality of life would improve as she would be able to be mobile again, have less pain, and play actively with her friends. Keira was part of the decision making process and when the pain became too intense and woke her at night, she said that it is on nights like these, she is sure she made the right decision. As a parent, the thought of what to come is scary, but also hopeful. We are choosing to look at amputation as a new beginning for her. We know that we have a long journey ahead of us and are so thankful to the Drs. at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Our friends and family have been a constant source of support. Our fire service family has worked tirelessly to raise funds and provide services to fully remodel the bathroom to be accessible to Keira once she has surgery, provide assistance with medical bills and future cost of prosthetics . It is humbling to receive the kind of assistance people are offering and providing. While this is a difficult and stressful time for our family, it also reassures us of the goodness in people. Thank you for your support and kindness...we are so grateful!