Meet Zoe!

Zoe is the sweetest, fiery, red-headed 8-year-old you will ever meet living in Argonia, KS. Zoe has a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy, that affects her ability to walk and talk, however this diagnosis does not slow her down. Much like her peers, she is an active 8-year-old; swimming at the local pool, participating in summer recreation activities, such as bowling, ice skating, and roller skating and attending the local Elementary School. However, in order to participate in these activities, Zoe often requires the assistance of a trained adult: using her wheelchair or walker, getting in/out of buildings, using the playground equipment, etc....

Zoe has been working with Dr. M'Lisa Shelden, the head of the Physical Therapy program at Wichita State University in the College of Health Professions, for several months thanks to a contract with the school system.

Zoe qualifies for a surgery called SDR (selective dorsal rhizotomy), which is done by a neurosurgeon. The family has identified a surgeon in Houston and recently met with him in Texas to develop a surgery plan.

Zoe’s surgery is a very delicate spinal surgery that helps children keep or improve their ability to walk (Zoe walks a bit but not well and it is exhausting for her. Wichita State University's faculty and students in Physical Therapy are hoping to get her to the point that she could walk around the house or classroom on her own). The surgery also greatly reduces pain and can prevent many future skeletal issues.

Initially, the surgeon said he would not do the surgery without intensive follow-up and a physical therapy plan. The services required for follow-up rehab simply aren’t available in and around Argonia. This is where Dr. M'Lisa Shelden and her team from WSU PT Department, stepped in to fill the gap, so that Zoe could return home much sooner and receive the physical therapy that is so critical for her to have the best possible outcome.

After surgery, Zoe will need to do intensive physical therapy for a minimum of six months and up to a year to increase strength, develop balance and alignment, and eventually increase independence at home and at school.

The procedure is very painful and Zoe's parents, Dan and Shawn, and her sister, Kay-Marie, will stay in Houston for 3 weeks: 1 week hospital stay and 2 weeks post-surgery to embark upon their long journey of physical therapy. They would like to stay in a hotel that is close to their physical therapy location as Zoe will need to do two - 1 hour sessions of PT every day and the car ride can be extremely jarring and painful due to her incision site and post surgery recovery.

Due to the nature of surgery, it is not feasible for Zoe to make the long drive, (minimum 10 hours one way), therefore it is necessary that the family fly.

Please consider supporting this amazing, faithful and resilient family.

For transparency, the cost break-down is as follows:

1. Two weeks of out-patient physical therapy post-op = $2,000

2. Two weeks in a hotel that is located one mile from the PT site = $2,000

3. Airfare/Rental Car= $4,000 as the family will need to fly to support Zoe

4. Incidentals: food, gas, etc... = $2000 for the 3 weeks the family will be in Houston