As told by Tammy Island, RSC
In the Fall of 2019, I initiated an intake file for a family with an 18 month old girl. During infancy and shortly after birth, their baby girl was diagnosed with dysplasia of the left hip, and her hip was dislocated. It was determined that she would require surgery to fix her hip, but it would take some time before the surgery could be performed. The mother shared that it took a full 14 months before the surgery was done.
During a time when a young toddler should be experiencing many milestones and firsts, instead she was met with a time that left her in hardship and with difficulty to move.
The family faced struggles with moving and transporting her because they didn’t have a proper sized stroller to allow for the space for the body casting. As well, she didn’t have an adequately sized bed; this added to her pain and discomfort. The mother shared that many times they missed out on opportunities such as participating in community events, visiting with family, even getting to and from important appointments or shopping for essential needs for the family was a very stressful and daunting task.
When it was decided that she would need another surgery by Spring of 2020, the mother reached out to several agencies to apply for funding or services to fill the specialized needs for her child. She was faced with denials; there wasn’t funding available for her requests. Fortunately, the mother received a referral to Jordan’s Principle; they referred the family to First Nations Health Consortium to assist with an application in the Fall of 2019. She was in hopes that we could assist with her child’s specialized needs.
I am very elated to share that the family received the items they need based on the approval of the application.