Surgeries to better straighten a child’s life

ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA - During infancy, mother Devin Bear thought daughter Jemma was unknowingly trying to look cute with her head tilted when Jemma looked at her.

That was not just a pose. It was a sign of scoliosis.

“We didn’t know why Jemma is the way she is,” Devin said about those first few months of Jemma’s life. She’s now 11.

Devin said there were complications naturally delivering Jemma at birth. Devin said Jemma was always delayed on the milestones of development like rolling over and keeping her head up.

“It always tilted to the left,” she said about the position of Jemma’s head. “As a first-time mom, I thought it was her being cute. She was always a happy, good baby.”

Doctor appointments afterward in Iowa City diagnosed her with scoliosis when she was 6 months old. Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine. Severity of the condition varies and the condition may worsen with age. X-rays show the curve. Curvatures are measured in degrees and the bigger the number, the more severe the case. The curvature can shift the entire rib cage and put pressure on internal organs.

Uneven tops of shoulder blades while standing, hip location and constant back pain are common symptoms. It can also be seen by having a person bend over while standing and one shoulder blade is more prominent than the other.

During youth, it’s an option for patients to be fitted with a custom-designed brace to wear and hopefully help straighten the curve as the child grows.

“The turtle shell back brace,” Devin said. “She had seven or eight of them.”

Two visits a year to Iowa City were to monitor her condition. Her curvature number was between 30 and 40, considered moderate, for years. “Then it went from 40 to 69 in the last year,” Devin said. Numbers greater than 40 are considered severe.

Devin and Jemma are at a point they were told years ago.

“We will have to have back surgery eventually down the road once puberty hits,” Devin said she was told by doctors. “We knew this was coming. She is the coolest kid with the biggest heart.” Jemma is the oldest of five with two brothers and two sisters ranging in age from 1 to 9.

Jemma is scheduled to have two surgeries next week at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. The first is a preliminary, preparation surgery. A few days later, the second operation will be corrective and installation of a rod to straighten her back. The surgery will also take the pressure off the bend on her back.

“As she grew up, she rarely ever complained about pain, but has lived with pain,” Devin said.

There were monthly chiropractor treatments. The brace was a struggle to wear, especially during the kindergarten and early-school years. Devin said Jemma wore it at night.

“This didn’t effect her life until she hit 11.” She also has some vision issues, which are being treated, and a heart murmur. The heart murmur is not a threat.

Devin said Jemma hit a growth spurt which probably exacerbated the scoliosis. “She’s a string bean with long legs. She’s not able to straighten both legs and she couldn’t lock both knees,” she said.

Fears were the scoliosis would stunt muscle development and she would not be able to run. During an elementary track day, Devin said Jemma ran a 400, which is once around the track.

“She can bend over to tie shoes. Her balance is not the best,” she said. “Ladders, getting in bounce houses; she struggles with balance.”

Devin said recovery should be at least a week in the hospital.

“The rod will not bend. She will have to learn how to angle herself to bend over. She will have to roll over to get out of bed,” Devin said. Devin said she was encouraged to go to the Mayo Clinic by East Union teachers Steve and Jean Kinyon. She said Steve was treated well at Mayo for a condition. After submitting referral information, Jemma was accepted.

“The first meetings with the doctor, I was nervous. ‘If this was your child, what would you do,’” Devin remembered asking.

She said the answer was comforting as the surgeon told her he relied on other staff members in a team-like setting. Devin asked if the surgery was even recommended. The answer was her condition will get worse and put her in even more pain.

“That was a punch in the gut,” she said.

Devin said Jemma has handled the entire process, and her life, well and with a good attitude.

“I want to be more like her,” she said.