Meredith makes adjustments to Valery's prostheses.
Meredith and Valery shake hands.
Valery uses her foot to open a door.
New Arms and New Beginnings for Valery
Meet Valery.
Six-year-old Valery from New Braunfels, Texas, was born without arms.
Still, she has always found her own way to navigate life.
She feeds herself. She paints on her own. She even plays with her dolls, skillfully using her feet and mouth to do what most people do with their hands.
Valery has been diagnosed with complete agenesis of bilateral upper extremities, meaning the bones in her upper arms, forearms, wrists and hands did not develop during pregnancy. She does have both clavicles and scapulae, allowing her to move her shoulders freely.
“It has not been hard raising Valery because she is very independent,” her mother said. “She loves to try things on her own. And she recently learned how to open the door with her foot.”
Valery enjoys watching movies with her family, playing video games with her older sister and painting pictures of animals. In kindergarten, her favorite subject is math. She loves going to school, the same place that helped connect her family to Shriners Children’s Texas.
Although Valery was born in Ecuador, she now lives with her mom, dad and older sister in Central Texas. The family had been in the United States for several years before learning about Shriners Children’s through Valery’s school. In December 2025, they made the drive to Galveston for her first appointment with the Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services (POPS) team. There, Valery met Meredith Roehrs, certified and licensed prosthetist, orthotist and POPS department manager, and began the process of being fitted for her new arms.
We are very thankful for Shriners Children's Texas. They have helped Valery so much. It's been a positive experience.
With a limb difference at such a high level, Meredith explained that one of the biggest challenges is simply managing the weight of her new prosthesis.
“The hardest thing is to find a place for the weight of the prosthesis to settle,” Meredith said. “The prosthesis is heavy and having that weight sit on your clavicles is not comfortable. We try to have the weight sit on the muscles of the neck and back that surround the bones, so we are not placing something hard onto something hard.”
Because Valery does not have a sound limb to use as a reference, Meredith calculated the length of her arm prostheses using Valery’s height and even the length of her foot. The result is an endoskeletal prosthesis featuring a shoulder joint that moves forward, backward and out to the side. The friction in the joint can be adjusted so the arm stays where Valery places it. A small lever on the forearm allows her to bend and lock her elbow into position.
Just a few months after her initial appointment, Valery’s new prostheses were ready. Naturally, they were wrapped in a personalized Hello Kitty pattern.
Surrounded by her mom, dad and sister, Valery stood in front of a mirror and saw herself with arms for the first time. A smile slowly spread across her face as she grabbed her sister’s hands and began swinging them back and forth. While Valery has already navigated life with remarkable independence, her new prostheses will open a world of possibilities. She’s excited to write for the first time, type on a computer, hold a book and paint using her hands. At recess, she said she wants to try the monkey bars. Riding a bike might take a little more courage.
Her family said their experience at Shriners Children’s Texas has been overwhelmingly positive. They describe the hospital as welcoming and kind, and they feel grateful to have found a place that can support Valery’s orthopedic care.
For a little girl who already learned to open doors with her foot, this next chapter is simply another way of discovering what she can do.
Next Steps
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