Mom looking for advice

[Damians Mom]

Hi I am a mother of a 7 yeaar old that has a brachial plexus injury from birth. Damian was a large baby weighing 10 lbs 15oz at birth. He got stuck during birth and had to be pulled out with extreme force. After birth he had no movemennt in his left arm and we had tp pin the sleeve to his chest to hold the arm and reduce pulling on the shoulder. We were told that he would regain movement and everything should be fine. Well after several months some of his movement came back but it was far from normal. We told all the PT, OT and doctors that we were willing to travel for treatment as you would do anything for your child. All they advised us to do was to continue therapy and that everything should be fine. When Damian was 18 months old we received a call from the PT saying that she had found a doctor in Toronto DR Clarke that would evaluate Damian. We travelled to Toronto 2 months later as we are from PEI Canada and when we met DR CLarke he stated that surgery was not an option for Damian because surgery would have to done between 3-9 months of age. As a mother my heart sank. So Damian is now 7 years old and we have had no hope from any doctor we have seen in the past that Damian will regain any more movement in his arm. I started to reserch different DR and procedures that are being done on children with BPI and am amazed at the stories that I have read.
I am looking forward to any information that anyone could give me wether it is Doctors in Canada or USA (not sure if this is an option as we are not residents of the USA, but willing to consider anything).

Thanks
Damians Mom

[Tuckersmommy]

Dr.Grossman has been great....
He's in Miami,fl

[FullHouseMom]

Hi there.
My son Garrett is also 7 yrs old, he has a left arm brachial plexus injury from birth too. We are near the Detroit, MI area and the only surgery he has had was when he was 4 yrs old and it was at U of M Childrens Mott. U of M Hospital has it's own Brachial Plexus group, with a board of different doctors and has support groups for kids too. Garrett went to his first BPI Day Camp this summer and loved it. Not sure if this is an option for you, but it may be closer.

[Tanya in NY]

Hello. I too am a Mom of an injured child. She will be 8 years old in a few weeks. It saddens me to hear the same type of stories over and over again such as yours. There are many fine doctors available in the United States. Please check out UBPN's medical directory for location, contact information, and some of them have answered a questionnaire so you can get an idea about them. Whether they will treat your child based on the fact that you are not a US citizen, just ask them. I would surmise the answer would be yes, but simply ask them and be sure before making a trip.

http://ubpn.org/index.php?option=com_php&Itemid=118

Best wishes to you and your family.

Tanya in NY
Amber's Mom, ROBPI, almsot 8 years old

[Damians Mom]

Just wondering if anyone from Canada has been treted in the USA, and what doctor they have seen? I am looking into
Dr Kozin as he is one of the highly recommended doctors and it is not that far of a travel. My concerns are what the cost of the treatments or potential surgeries are going to be since we are Canadian residents.

[katep]

Shriners Hospitals treat residents of the United States (including Puerto Rico), Canada, the Republic of Panama and Mexico. You should be fine!

Kate

[Bakahump]

Try Dr. Waters at Boston Childrens In Boston MA.

"Pretty close" to PEI.

Baka

[marieke]

Check into the Shriners Hospital in Montreal, I had surgery there when I was 14 (I live in Montreal,QC). Also try Toronto's Sick Kids again, as this time it would be for secondary surgery and not nerve graft (which is what is done when they are babies).

And as far as I know the USA/Canada Shriner's is no longer taking international cases due to the economy. This may have changed though in the last year. But having the one in Qc is an option for those in Canada.

[katep]

I'm pretty sure no more "international" cases means outside the standard Shriners service area. They used to accept patients from the Ukraine, for example. But Canada residents are still eligible, according to the Shriners website.

Kate

[Damians Mom]

Thanks for the info, I will keep evryone informed on the progress.
Great to know that there are so many people out there that are willing to share great info and give support.

Thanks again