11-y-o Ajanae to undergo high-risk scoliosis surgery today

Ajanae Parchment, the 11-year-old whose scoliosis surgery was cancelled last month due to issues at the Bustamante Hospital for Children (BHC), will undergo the procedure today.

The surgery, which doctors have indicated is high risk, is scheduled for this morning at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI).

Yesterday, the young girl’s mother, Sandra Aitcheson, said doctors briefed her about the procedure and indicated that it is “risky”.

Still, she indicated that while having mixed emotions, Ajanae has suffered because of the severe condition and is looking forward to the procedure and her recovery.

“It’s a lot of mixed feelings. They said as with all surgeries, there is a possibility of stroke and death. But I’m happy she’s getting the surgery done and getting the help. This is what we wanted. So, it’s just a lot of mixed emotions,” she said.

Aitcheson said Ajanae was admitted to the UHWI last Friday and that pre-surgery preparations have been done.

She said the surgery is also expected to go a long way in relieving her daughter’s pain, boosting her confidence, and limiting the taunting she has to endure from some of her peers.

“She has good friends, and her classmates are nice, but, you know, you have other kids in the school who will call her ‘Big Back’. ... But if something is bothering her, you would have to read her diary to know,” Aitcheson said.

WHAT IS SCOLIOSIS?

Scoliosis is a condition in which a person’s spine has an irregular curve in the coronal plane. The curve is usually S- or C-shaped over three dimensions. In some, the degree of curve is stable, while in others, it increases over time.

Ajanae was, last year, diagnosed with the disease and referred to the BHC for treatment.

At the time, the curve of her spine was 25 degrees. It has since moved to 85 degrees.

A US team of doctors on an annual mission and one of Jamaica’s leading orthopaedic surgeons were to perform the surgery last month at BHC.

Aitcheson told The Gleaner that the surgeons could not operate because the operating theatre had mould, air-conditioning challenges, and was without the necessary equipment.

United States-based surgeon Dr Robert Brady, the team lead, decried the condition of the infrastructure at Jamaica’s public-health facilities after he and his colleagues were forced to put off the life-changing surgery.

Brady, the section chief at Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut, visited the island with the team of doctors in October to perform orthopaedic-related surgeries for children with severe challenges, including scoliosis.

He said he has been travelling to Jamaica for 20 years but described this year’s mission as “terrible”, disclosing that the team was only able to perform five surgeries – four at BHC and one at UHWI.

Brady said the team is accustomed to performing 12 to 16 surgeries per trip. He blamed poor infrastructure for the shortfall this time around.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com