Port Hope girl will receive a life-changing gift
Bayleigh Beatty was born without a fibula in her right leg, one of the body's two shin bones. The other one, the tibia, is (fortunately) the weight-bearing bone. The fibula stabilizes the ankle, Bayleigh explained. When she was born in Cobourg 15 years ago, it was just missing.
She had surgery at 10 months to correct the foot and ankle, and started wearing a brace. As she grew, she had a lift on her shoe. Her whole leg is shorter because of this, her mother said in a recent interview.
The youngest member of the family (which includes parents Brian and Betsy and big brothers Taylor and Connor), Bayleigh would become a familiar figure at the Hospital for Sick Children, as the operations succeeded each other and her conditionslide bearing continued to be monitored — often with the same health-care-team members, her mother pointed out.
The operations included a femur-lengthening procedure when she was three and a tibia-lengthening procedure when she was five, as well as a procedure to slow down the growth in her left leg when she was 12 so the other leg could catch up.
And they put a plate in my knee to help strengthen it, Bayleigh added.
Home care has been a vital part of her therapy, her mother added, with part of the pins sometimes left outside the leg for adjustments that must occur according to a prescribed routine.
Betsy recalls becoming a volunteer in Bayleigh's class when she was at George Hamilton Public School so she could do this personally at the appropriate times and provide some physiotherapy as well.
At this time, Bayleigh is still on crutches as she heals from a lengthening procedure in May.
She has nine pins in her leg and two different frames. They are correcting the length and curvature — when you have a bone missing, you have more curvature, Betsy explained.
The framework that is surgically installed (which they adjust almost every day to a set prescription,Plastic bearing with carefully timed breaks to give her body a rest) cannot come off until all gaps left in the bones have grown in and had time to consolidate
They also have to be vigilant for infections, which are common at the pin sites.
If looking forward to a new life with legs the same length is a miracle for Bayleigh, her mother considers Bayleigh's life up to this point a miracle as well. Her challenges have not slowed her down from sports, dancing or anything else she has wanted to do.
She's going to have to retrain herself, Betsy said.
She's been compensating all her life. She was figure skating from the time she was seven until she was 13, and she could land jumps and everything.
You just jump and spin on the same foot, Bayleigh shrugged.
She also does basketball, though right now she doesn't do a lot, Betsy added. She's waiting to try to get herself in better shape.
Before her surgery, Bayleigh just managed to complete her duties as a stagehand for the school production of Grease (she had decided against trying out for a part, in case Sick Kids called her in any earlier).
The surgery was more painful and draining on Bayleigh than expected. It turned out she was unable to go back to school before the academic year ended. Fortunately, she said, my marks were good enough that the school exempted me from my exams.
I am really impressed with the kids at the school, the staff, even kids she doesn't really know have been so good, Betsy said. And when she got out of surgery from Sick Kids, her Facebook was bombarded with messages. Her friends got together and did a card with maybe 50 signatures, and four of her friends came to the hospital.
Now Bayleigh is working on getting her strength back. Because of propelling herself on crutches for so long, her upper-body strength should be fine. She's hoping to join her softball team in indoor workouts some time in February.
This has been a special passion of hers. She has been a member of a rep team in Whitby for two years, and was with them during their last stellar season — third-place in the province and sixth in Canada, Bayleigh noted with pride.
Even though she was on the disabled list part of the season, due to a torn knee cartilage from an improper slide, they kept her on the team. She still attended the games and was along for tournaments in Montreal and West Virginia.
There was a debate at one of the tournaments, where new Provincial Women's Softball Association rules that applied to her being older than most of her teammates prompted organizers to make sure it was okay with the other coaches if she played. One of them, suspecting she was a ringer, put up an argument.
The coaches said, 'This girl is going for surgery and will be out the rest of the season,' and it was a fun tournament. The treasurer even talked to them, Betsy recalled.
In the end, Bayleigh could play, but she had to be in the outfield — and she could hit but not run. But a remark her mother heard from someone that day stuck with her — This is the true spirit of the game. She just wants to play.
Not long afterwards, someone on the team who has connections with the Provincial Women's Softball Association persuaded them to create an award in Bayleigh's name for squirt-age players, where there aren't as many awards.
It goes to a girl every year from now on who shows the same spirit and characteristics on and off the field, her mother said.
The same passion for the game, Bayleigh added.
For the first Bayleigh award, Bayleigh did the presenting herself at the annual PWSA banquet in St. Catharines — to a Kitchener player named Emily Glendig.
The Sick Kids team that has worked on Bayleigh has been impressed with her, Betsy said.
Bayleigh's so good as far as pain or complaining. I think anybody who knows her knows that. When she says something's wrong, something's wrong. The nurses are really good that way, Betsy said.
We have been a resource family for other families — Sick Kids will ask our permission and they contact us.
And we made that video for the Sick Kids Foundation, Bayleigh said.
For their gala two or three years ago, they asked Bayleigh to do a little video — she's a good one to talk to the other families, Betsy explained.
We never coddled or pampered her. When you see what some families at Sick Kids are dealing with, it's nothing compared to that. |
