Lights, Camera, Action: From POPS to the Big Screen

Kodiak (Kodi) is a 9-year-old boy born with his left leg significantly shorter than his right leg, often referred to as a limb length discrepancy.

Shriners Children's Philadelphia staff has been treating him since he was a baby, and he continues to receive care there as he grows up. Kodi has a prosthetic foot attached to the bottom of a knee ankle foot orthosis to make his legs the same length.

When Samantha was pregnant with Kodi, she was told he would have a limb difference. Samantha's mother found out about the care at Shriners Children's after doing her own research for the best treatment for her grandson. When Kodi was a few weeks old, his parents, Samantha and Nate, took him to Shriners Children's Philadelphia. They had the impression from previous appointments with specialists at other hospitals that Kodi would need to undergo a leg and foot amputation.

However, the care team at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia reassured them otherwise. His medical team believed that his leg could be saved and lengthened. His parents were thrilled to hear this positive news, especially because Kodi has a perfectly working foot on his shorter leg. Samantha explained that Kodi's doctors were very passionate about saving his leg from amputation and doing everything they could to help him walk.

Kodi had his first surgery when he was 1 at Shriners Children's to straighten his left leg and foot, and it was successful. When Kodi was nearly 3, he took his first steps at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia, with the help of his care team. At 6 years old, Sarah Nossov, M.D., performed another surgery on Kodi, attaching an external fixator (EXFIX), which is used to help treat a child's limb length discrepancy. During limb lengthening surgery, the process begins with an osteotomy, during which a skilled Shriners Children's orthopedic surgeon cuts the bone to be lengthened. The surgeon then stabilizes the limb using one of several different external fixation devices called frames. The device has small rods, called pins, that go through the skin and into the bone. Kodi was not able to walk while his fixator was on, but within a year of this surgery, he grew 2 inches.

After the fixator was removed, his leg was casted, and once that cast was removed, he attended physical therapy to learn to walk again. Since his surgery, Kodi's team at Shriners Children's Philadelphia has helped him improve his walking ability. He will be receiving a second limb lengthening surgery with an EXFIX next summer to fuse his ankle and allow him to grow even taller.

Kodi additionally received multiple leg prosthoses from Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services (POPS). Luis, the practitioner in POPS who makes Kodi’s prosthoses, said, “When I think of Kodi, I am reminded of a famous quote, ‘Opportunities don’t happen, you create them.’ It is amazing how he pushes himself to learn new skills and doesn’t let anything stop him. He has a bright future ahead of him.”

A prosthosis is the combination of a prosthesis and orthosis that helps provide support, proper body alignment, control and function for someone who still has a limb but is unable to use it. Kodi’s current prosthosis is laminated with a sea turtle pattern. He is fascinated by sea turtles and wants to be a marine life veterinarian when he grows up. As Luis explained, Kodi is able to do everything he wants to, despite his limb length discrepancy. With his prosthosis, he can walk and play basketball with his friends.

Samantha said that Kodi's care at Shriners Children's Philadelphia has been “Amazing! We love everyone here, and we work a lot with [his care team]. We've been coming here forever.” At Shriners Children's, our wrap-around care has offered Kodi the ability to see providers that help him receive the care he needs while maintaining consistency with the team approach. Samantha additionally added, “It is amazing Kodi has been able to play baseball, practice karate, run, hike in a cave and so many other amazing things because of the outstanding care at Shriners. Without everyone, this would not be possible, and Kodi gets to live a full life. We cannot thank you all enough.”

Outside of the hard work he accomplishes at Shriners Children's, Kodi also works hard on movie sets. He was recently in a feature film called A44 about a zombie apocalypse, where he plays a zombie himself. He will soon be on a podcast to discuss his feelings about being an actor with a limb difference. He is gearing up to be in another feature film in the near future. We cannot wait to see all Kodi will accomplish, both in the fields of marine biology and entertainment.