Scottish Rite Update

We've been slacking on our updates to the blog and have been getting a lot of requests for more information. We apologize for not posting sooner. Indeed a lot has happened since our first visit to Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas.

April 12th was our first visit to Scottish Rite. Upon meeting with the physicians and physical therapists, it didn't take long for us realize this was a special place. We felt they genuinely cared about Diego and wanted to do everything they could to make him better. It also felt good to finally meet people that knew more about Arthrogryposis then we did! Best of all they wanted to begin treatment immediately which is how our 1 day visit turned into a 2 week stay!! Of course we were not prepared for an extended stay but were willing to do whatever it would take to get Diego the best possible care.

The timing for our two week stay couldn't have been better. Mom was still on maternity leave and had two weeks remaining. Dad was worried that his job in Austin would require him to be without his family for two weeks. Instead, the management at his employer, Dell Inc, understood the situation and allowed him to work remotely the entire time. The final blessing came from the wonderful folks at Scottish Rite who provided us a room in the hospital free of charge. We couldn't have asked for more!

Diego's treatment began later that afternoon which was virtually the same everyday. Twice a day he had physical therapy and every afternoon we was fitted with custom leg splints. The splints were held in place with Velcro that came in several colors. Some days he was yellow, red, black, blue and so on. With matching outfits he was making quite the fashion statement.

By the end of 2 weeks, Diego showed great improvement while Mom and Dad were feeling ill from the effects of eating out everyday. We were both ready to go home but needed to decide on future treatment. We could either followup with a physical therapist in Austin or make the 5 1/2 hour drive every week to Scottish Rite. There's was no doubt we would stick with Scottish Rite.

Fast forward to today. Every Friday we make the 5 1/2 hour trip to Dallas. We've been doing this now for over 7 weeks. To help with work, Dad purchased a mobile networking plan that allows him to work remotely from the car. Mom is back to work and routinely takes conference calls during the trip. Our SUV has become our part-time office on wheels! It's hard at times but well worth it. Diego continues to respond well to treatment. So far we've gone from weekly soft cast to hard casts then back to soft casts and now splints. Most of the work has been focused on his legs and feet. On June 14th we will go back to Dallas to meet with the hand team at Scottish Rite. We've been told he will see the best had surgeon in the world. We look forward to meeting the team and feel blessed to have access to such accomplished physicians and staff.

We'd like to say Thanks to our friends and family for all your support. A Special thanks to Ian Benoist and Micheal Clark, Dad's managers at Dell. You guys have been great!