Zuzu’s Hip Dysplasia Journey

This is something that hit us like a train. I had my suspicions as Zuzu struggled to walk with her own distinctive little waddle but her pediatrician said it was something she would grow out of, motherly intuition told me otherwise. When Zuzu started complaining about lower back pain a few months later — at the age of four — I knew there was a problem. We finally had our referral to see a specialist and did the x-rays only for it confirm all my fears. Both of Zuzu’s legs were out of socket and her spine was curving from having nothing to ground it. It was a miracle she could walk at all. At this very first appt, we were told the news that she was need a series of surgeries and very soon. It felt like the air was leaving the room in that moment - my sweet, beautiful baby was going to face something so heavy and scary and there was no way to do it for her - in her place.

The first surgery was Jan. 23rd 2023 and it entailed opening and reducing her right femur bone by over an inch in length and then going into her hip to create a hip joint and insert the femur ball into it, lastly to set the broken bones with pins, plates and screws. The second surgery was Feb.6th to repeat the process of the left side. Each surgery was around six hours long. Six hours of praying my baby comes out doing well and her little body can recover from this trauma. We are now on the other side of these two terrifying obstacles and the reality of life these next 12 weeks in a full body - spika cast - is setting in. A very happy, playful, wild girl can’t sit up straight in a chair or even walk for months. We are back in diapers. The weight of lifting her with this cast is too much to safely allow others except her primary caregivers to have the responsibility of. The days are long and yet it still feels like I am not doing enough because I can’t do this completely for her.

I hesitated for the last two weeks to write this —to be this vulnerable and open. Life is hard for so many people right now, and expensive, that asking for help feels like I am burdening others but the truth is the outpouring of love and concern for Zuzu has held us up these last two weeks.

My job as her mother is to not leave her side and do everything I possible can to ease this pain and help her heal and get back to a happy life. There’s no at-home nurse or leaving to resume my work. Months without working has filled my thoughts every morning driving to the hospital or on my short breaks when I get to go home to shower….The whole drive - how will I survive this without going crippling debt? How will I do this? I know we will go on and survive this. There will be sunny days again.

I’m writing this from beside her hospital bed and waiting for the day to come where we are happy on the other side of this and swimming again (which is her favorite thing to do).

The gratitude I feel for how much everyone has already blessed us these last few weeks is enough on it’s own. From every part of my heart, thank you.

-Kate