Joanna Schroeder shares her father’s battle against medical opinions in a heartfelt story featured in *Your Tango*. Shortly after her birth, she was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia that required invasive surgery. Rather than follow the recommended path, her father created a home traction device, allowing Joanna to avoid surgery for several weeks. Although she faced challenges throughout her childhood, a recent consultation revealed that her father’s efforts had led to an exceptional outcome, highlighting the power of dedicated parenting.
Many parents are willing to go to great lengths for their children, and that’s precisely what happened with Joanna Schroeder. In a story shared with Your Tango, the writer detailed how her father fought against medical advice to ensure the well-being of his baby. This risky decision ultimately paid off.
The journey began shortly after Joanna’s birth. When she was just 21 days old, her parents took her for a routine pediatric check-up. During this visit, it was discovered that she had a severe case of hip dysplasia. This is a congenital condition that results in deformity, specifically in her hip joint and the femur.
Father Against Surgery
Following this diagnosis, her parents consulted with an orthopedist who explained that surgery was the only approach to address the condition. To correct the deformity, Joanna would need at least one, potentially two surgeries. During these procedures, specialists would have to cut bones and reposition fragments from certain areas. Essentially, this was a risky undertaking that would necessitate full anesthesia and could lead to severe infections due to bone cutting.
However, before undergoing surgery, Joanna would need to spend at least three weeks lying on her back with her legs in traction to realign the problematic joint and allow the articulation to reform properly. To spare his daughter the hospital stay, her father, a designer, collaborated with an orthopedist to create a home traction device similar to one used in hospitals. Following this, Joanna had to wear a cast that immobilized both her legs and hips, with an opening in the middle for her to use the toilet. Six weeks later, things had not progressed sufficiently, and doctors continued to recommend surgery. Her parents then sought additional opinions. Fortunately, a week later, they noticed that the socket of her hip had started to develop.
An Unexpected Outcome in Adulthood
Throughout her childhood, Joanna made numerous trips to the orthopedist. She frequently experienced inflammation in the area and pain in the hip joint, but having never known anything else, she wasn’t particularly bothered. She lived like other children and even took up running, like her father and brother. A few years ago, Joanna began to suffer pain in her hip and consulted a specialist.
Feeling extremely anxious about this appointment, she worried she might finally need the surgery her father had fought so hard to prevent. Once in the specialist’s office, he didn’t say anything she didn’t already know. She recounted all her medical experiences, and to her great surprise, he proclaimed, “Well, it worked. This is the best outcome I’ve ever seen in a severe case of hip dysplasia. This is what happens when caring parents advocate for their children.”