Jazzie takes her very first steps at Shriners Children's Spokane in 2022.
Jazzie plays with her care team.
Dora holds Jazzie's hand as she pets Ginny, the Shriners Children's Spokane facility dog.
Clint Hastings shows his badge to Jazzie.
Jazzie Keeps Making Big Steps
Jazzie took her first steps in the halls of Shriners Children's Spokane. Now she is thriving and moves around with ease.
Five-year-old Jaslynn has celebrated many milestones.
From learning to walk to thriving in kindergarten, several key moments of her journey have included her care team at Shriners Children's Spokane.
Jaslynn “Jazzie” was born with a rare disease known as VACTERL syndrome, which impacts major parts of the body, including the spine, heart, kidneys and limbs. It is diagnosed when at least three of these irregularities occur together.
When she was first brought to Shriners Children’s Spokane, her care team worked to determine what would best improve her quality of life. After struggling with casting, they decided that the best option was to amputate both of her legs at the knee.
“The hospital was a scary place for her because she associated that to all of the trauma to help with some of the congenital abnormalities she was dealing with,” said Orthotics and Prosthetics Manager Clint Hastings, a member of her care team.
Over time, that fear quickly turned into joy. When her family spoke with local news station 4NewsNow for last year’s telethon, Jazzie laughed and played with Clint and with Ginny, Spokane’s facility dog, as she moved through the hallways with ease – those same hallways where she took her first steps.
After her surgeries, Spokane’s Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetics Services (POPS) department staff fitted her with two prosthetics, and a team of physical and occupational therapists helped improve her movement. With her mom and her care team around her, Jazzie used her prosthetics to walk for the very first time – a heartwarming moment that demonstrates the life-changing care the staff at Shriners Children’s provides.
Her team said she has shown incredible resilience and continues to reach physical milestones with confidence. Dora, Jazzie’s mom, said it’s a struggle keeping up with Jazzie, even without her forearm crutches. “She is a brilliant little girl. For all that she’s been through, she’s very brilliant.”
All these kids are unique and so different. They get to show us what they're able to do.
Jazzie will require additional surgeries further down the line to further improve her mobility, but her next big milestone is completing her first year of school. In kindergarten, she continues to make new friends and build her independence.
“Her friends and her classmates really take care of her,” said Dora. “She wouldn’t use her [crutches], and they’d go, ‘Jazzie here’s your sticks,’ and she’d say, ‘I don’t need my sticks.’”
By receiving high-quality care at Shriners Children’s at an early age, Jazzie has been able to thrive in ways she wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.
“[Shriners Children’s] can be a place of joy, because she’s able to walk and use her prosthetics and functionally to do the things that all other kids are able to do,” said Hastings.
Next Steps
Share Your Story
Our patients and families are at the heart of everything we do at Shriners Children's. We invite you to share how the team at Shriners Children's has helped your child.
Give to Shriners Children's
Through the generosity of donors like you, we've helped over one million children lead more fulfilling lives, regardless of their families' ability to pay.
