Aitana’s Journey: Walking with Confidence
When 13-year-old Aitana and her family immigrated to the United States from Cuba in 2023, they brought with them big dreams, including the desire to overcome Aitana’s lifelong medical challenge.
When she was just 3 years old, she had sustained an injury to her femur that left her with a noticeable leg length discrepancy. For years, she walked with a shoe lift to compensate, but it never felt quite right, especially when she just wanted to walk barefoot or participate in her other favorite activities.
While Aitana is still adjusting to her new country, she is thriving today. Thanks to the specialized care at Shriners Children’s Texas, she has made a full recovery from a cutting-edge leg-lengthening procedure that has completely transformed her mobility.
The surgery she underwent is called a Precice nail procedure, a technique that involves inserting a lengthening rod inside the bone that is gradually extended using an external magnetic controller. The process is slow and deliberate, requiring both patience and commitment, but Aitana was up to the challenge.
I'm grateful for every person from the first floor to the top because of what Shriners Children’s Texas has been doing for my daughter.
“Aitana is a very strong young woman,” said her orthopedic surgeon, Cody J. Sanderson, M.D. “She unfortunately had an injury as a child that caused one leg to be shorter than the other. She was managed with shoe lifts in the past, but did not like the way her leg felt when she was walking barefoot. She is now one year out from surgery, fully recovered, back to her activities and happy with her surgery. She worked hard and has had an excellent outcome.”
With her new sense of balance and freedom, Aitana has returned to doing the things she loves most – like riding her bike and dancing to music. She is especially excited about something that many teenage girls look forward to: dressing up and wearing high heels. With her legs now the same length, she can step into those shoes with complete confidence.
“It is a very good hospital because it helps the patients, the little ones, so they can recover,” Aitana said about her experience at Shriners Children’s Texas. “Yeah, and they can run, they can play and be a normal child and have a better quality of life.”
Her mother, Dayana, echoes that gratitude, reflecting on the care and compassion they received throughout their journey. “I'm grateful for every person from the first floor to the top because of what Shriners Children’s Texas has been doing for my daughter,” she said.
Aitana’s story is one of big dreams, perseverance and cutting-edge medical care, which allows her the ability to live life more fully. With her surgery behind her and her passions driving her forward, Aitana is walking tall on even ground and stepping into a bright future.
