Bentley’s First Steps Made Possible Through Teamwork After Hurricane Helene

Thanks to the seamless teamwork between Shriners Children’s locations across the country, Bentley received his first prosthesis just in time for his birthday, allowing him to take his first steps and avoid long-term physical challenges.

Though Tampa, Florida, is hundreds of miles from Pennsylvania, the impact of Hurricane Helene was felt all the way to Shriners Children's Erie. The Category 4 storm forced a temporary shutdown of the main Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services (POPS) central fabrication facility in Tampa, creating challenges for families like Bentley’s who rely on their services in Erie.

Last October, Bentley was set to receive his first prosthetic leg, which his parents hoped would arrive in time for his birthday. However, with the hurricane closing the central fabrication facility, the Erie POPS team was uncertain they could meet the timeline.

In response to the closure of the Tampa facility, Shriners Children’s Erie POPS clinicians Alex Betancourt, MS, MBA, CPO, and Hannah Clark, MS, CPO, quickly searched for a solution to ensure Bentley’s parents’ hopes were fulfilled. Betancourt, though in Ecuador at the time, coordinated with the East Coast POPS teams, reached out to his network of POPS prosthetists at other locations along the East Coast and connected with Brock McConkey, CPO, at Shriners Children’s New England.

McConkey volunteered to take on this special project to ensure Bentley’s prosthetic leg would be completed on time. “The nationwide Shriners Children’s POPS team is the largest and most experienced group of pediatric orthotists and prosthetists in the country,” said Betancourt.