Scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, can curve the spine to make a C shape or S shape, rather than growing in a straight line. One day Amy, Ethan’s mom, noticed he could not stand up straight and that his hips were not aligned. Upon getting a checkup, he had a 53-degree curve to his thoracic vertebrae and a 20-degree curve to his lumbar vertebrae.
Amy heard about the scoliosis treatment at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia in a social media group, where she connected with another parent of a child treated at our location. Ethan traveled all the way from Alabama to Pennsylvania because the Shriners Children's Philadelphia team offered comprehensive spine care and was able to schedule him for an appointment faster than any hospital near him.
This wasn’t the first time that they heard of Shriners Children’s. Amy's father was a member of Shriners International, specifically Zamora Shriners. In a full-circle moment, two Zamora volunteers from the chapter's Drivers Program transported Ethan and Amy the entire way from Alabama to Philadelphia and back – a 13-hour drive each way.
Dr. Samdani tests Ethan's reflexes on his bicep and forearm during his checkup.
Ethan stands with his drivers from Zamora Shriners ahead of their first drive to Shriners Children's Philadelphia.
Ethan smiles with Dr. Samdani after his surgery.
Ethan smiles with his drivers from Zamora Shriners in the lobby of Shriners Children's Philadelphia ahead of their most recent drive back to Alabama.
Ethan and Dr. Samdani look at his X-rays to see how his spine has straightened.
I am so grateful that I don’t have the financial burden, and for the drivers and what they do.
Once they arrived for their outpatient appointment with Amer Samdani, M.D., chief of staff, they discussed all the options of care. Due to the severity of Ethan’s spinal curvature, he skipped bracing and underwent spinal fusion surgery. Spinal fusion surgery is used to stop the spinal curve progression as a child continues to grow. Ethan’s surgery was successful. Dr. Samdani and the surgical team straightened his spine, which ultimately helped minimize pain and improve his posture. Dr. Samdani said, “I am very happy with the results we were able to obtain. Ethan is an excellent patient.”
Amy wants to give a special thank-you to Dr. Samdani, who she said was “amazing, very comforting and not rushed.” She also wants to thank Patrick, a nurse who went “above and beyond” to accommodate and care for both her and Ethan. Additionally, she wants to thank Jeanine, a respiratory therapist who was an “amazing bright light” throughout Ethan’s care. She said, “Ethan liked to keep his room dark, and she’d (figuratively and literally) brighten it up when she came in.”
She also explained that care manager/nurse Shannon and physician assistant Emily “kept [her] calm and informed in the months leading up to surgery by answering emails and questions through the patient portal.” Additionally, triage nurse Sloane “helped reassure both of [them] that he was healing well once [they] were discharged, again, via the portal.”
Thanks to Dr. Samdani and the team, Ethan can just focus on being a teenager. He can freely enjoy his hobbies of playing video games, pickleball and tennis, and serving on the production team at his church without fear of pain or discomfort. He feels that having surgery helped improve how his body moves and feels.
