It will be aired on 23rd May 2013. at 08:00 PM

We always welcome your valuable advices and suggestions..

reach us on – info.amrithavarshini@gmail.com …

Ph – India – +91 9895251129    UAE – 00971 527999113

swimmer overcoming physical limitations

Coan aiming for 2012 London Paralympic Games

McKenzie Coan’s infectious smile is remarkable considering the amount of physical pain she’s had to endure in her life.

Born with a genetic condition that weakens her bones, the home-schooled high school sophomore from Clarkesville has endured at least 30 confirmed fractures and more painful surgeries than any child should have to experience.

It is that condition, known as Osteogenesis Imperfecta, that keeps Coan bound to a wheelchair when she’s on land.

But in the water, there’s no sign of the long scars down the side of each leg where doctors have inserted metal rods on three separate occasions.

Coan learned at a young age that her physical disability would prevent her from walking and running like other kids, but in the water she was on an even playing field.

So it is in the pool that every day she practices, gliding through the water with long, powerful strokes under the tutelage of her mother, Teresa.

“Swimming is such a blessing in my life and so much fun,” Coan said. “Physically, mentally, emotionally, it’s like a stress reliever.”

She’s also got big dreams for where swimming can take her. Right now, everything is centered around getting into the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

To get there, she’s willing to put in long hours at the Frances Meadows Aquatic Center in Gainesville or with a club team, the Cumming Waves.

During the past year, she’s traveled to Minnesota, Texas, Illinois and California, to name a few, all to improve her ranking and get one step closer to the Paralympic qualifier.

She swims everything from the 100 freestyle to the one-mile, and set national records last summer in the 400 meter freestyle (5:42.75) and 100 meter individual medley (1:40.86).

She’s also working to become a formidable opponent in the one-mile. When she started in 2009, she was finishing around the 24-minute mark. Then she got to the point when she could break 22.

Now, the goal by the middle of 2012 is to come in under 21 minutes.

“I’ve never seen anyone like her before,” said Barbara Robins, a club coach for the Cumming Waves and the mother of one of Coan’s close friends. “McKenzie has the most
positive outlook on life.”

This summer, Coan and her family have the Speedo Can-Am Para-Swimming Championships from July 15-17 in Gastineau, Quebec circled on the calendar. If things go well there, she’ll be set to for the paralympic trials in April 2012 in Minnesota.

Regardless of the outcome in Quebec, Coan has come a long way since being diagnosed with Osteogenesis Imperfecta at 19 days old after breaking a leg while being burped.

Doctors recommended the Coans take her to a geneticist, which is where the family received the news of the brittle-bones condition.

At six months old, Coan wasn’t faring any better. Her mother said that her head would lay to the side without much movement.

That’s when the family met physical therapist Colleen O’Berry, who they consider a blessing. O’Berry put Coan on a proactive plan to allow the young girl to live as normal of a life as possible.

O’Berry wasn’t going to let Coan be treated like she was disabled.

“Colleen said, ‘you can put her on a shelf or let her live,’” Teresa Coan said.

Even though the surgeries continued as McKenzie got older, she never got bitter. When she was placed in a body suit that went from her chest to her feet for 6-8 weeks after surgery, she didn’t complain.

To maintain her strength, McKenzie continued to lift dumbbells while in a body suit following surgery to re-insert her metal rods.

And she doesn’t shy away from swimming, even though there is risk for injury every time she gets into the pool.

Once, she broke her back going into a flip turn at the wall. Her most recent fracture occurred when she jumped up in bed during a dream.

Everyday occurrences as minor as a sneeze, a cough or a hiccup can result in fractures.

But Coan decided when she got into swimming at age 9 that she wasn’t going to let her disability keep her from living and having fun.

“McKenzie could be down and depressed about her condition, but she’s got just the opposite outlook,” O’Berry said. “With swimming, it has really increased her strength and decreased her risk of fractures.”

Coan said her parents have always been honest with her about her physical limitations and what to expect: Many people with Osteogenesis Imperfecta lose their hearing in their 20s.

And they left it up to McKenzie to chart her own path.

She decided she was going to do everything possible.
She’s been a girl scout. She’s been on a bicycle and gone canoeing. She’s also enjoyed amusement parks, but doesn’t ride the roller coasters due to a fear of heights.

Coan’s family is also heavily invested in her swimming ventures. Teresa Coan has put 250,000 miles on the 2005 family minivan, mostly from driving to daily practice and meets in different corners of the country.

“Traveling has been one of the biggest blessings that has come with swimming and all the people we get to meet,” McKenzie said. “Everyone has been so nice and I’ve never met anyone that’s been rude to me.”

“She’s never met a stranger,” her mother said.

Through all McKenzie has faced, the Coan family has found its identity.

Her older brother Grant, who recently graduated from the Rabun Gap Nacoochee School, will go to Georgia Tech in the fall, and eventually plans to attend medical school.

Teresa said he wants to go into pediatric orthopedics to help other physically disabled children. Medicine runs in the family. Their father, Marc Coan, is a physician with the Toccoa Clinic in Stephens County.

Even McKenzie’s 12-year-old brother Eli looks up to big sister for what she’s overcome.

“She’s always been good motivation,” he said. “She’s a very strong person.”

In some ways, though, she’s just like any other athlete focused on a goal.

On the walls in her room, Coan keeps lists of the goals she wants to achieve. Each time she reaches a goal, she grabs a pen and marks it off.

Each goal crossed off brings her closer to the 2012 Paralympic Games in London and proves yet again the depth of the young girl’s talent and the strength of her determination.

“McKenzie is such a motivation for everyone around here,” Teresa said. “She always says, ‘we’re all equal in the pool.’”

courtesy,

gainesvilletimes.com

Mallie

When she was 9 days old, Mallie was fussy, leading Greg and Leigh to discover that their baby girl had fractured her right tibia and fibula. The new parents immediately took their daughter to the doctor, who advised them to take Mallie straight to the emergency room. They discovered that Mallie was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic bone disorder characterized by fragile bones that break easily.

“We were just absolutely frightened,” Leigh remembered. “I am a nurse, and I don’t remember hearing any of this from nursing school.”

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare heterogeneous disease of connective tissue that affects 8/100,000, or about 30,000 persons in the United States. Although the cardinal manifestation of OI is bone fragility, this rare disease encompasses all body systems. A person is born with this disorder and affected throughout his or her lifetime. Thus, an infant may be born with multiple fractures, or a child can break his arm and collarbone while putting on a T-shirt. Each fracture is as painful as the first!

Many children and adults with OI have multiple surgeries to try to correct bone deformities and straighten bones so they can live independently. Mallie had her first surgery when she was just 2 ½ years old! Rodding surgery is considered major surgery, and the Holmans knew that it would require their little girl to deal with an overnight stay at the hospital, a hip-spica cast for six weeks, and then months of physical therapy. This surgery was necessary to relieve the bowing in her legs and thus, to prevent osteogenesis imperfecta from stealing Mallie’s ability to walk. To make matters worse, the Holmans learned that Mallie would likely need to repeat the surgery every two to three years, depending on how fast she grows, to replace the rods with longer ones.

Mallie, who turned ten this year, is an excellent student, and she is active in a variety of activities, including swim team, golf, band and orchestra. Although she tries not to allow OI to slow her down so she can still just be a kid, Mallie recently fractured her forearm and reinjured her tibia in her lower leg. Her arm was so severely injured that she needed surgery to place two rods in her bones. Even though this was her fifth surgery in eight years, it was still an extremely frightening and traumatic experience for her. After a brief overnight stay in the hospital, Mallie was home and showing off her unbreakable spirit.

Together, we are creating a better future for children and adults living with OI!

HAVE A WONDERFUL B’DAY VIMALA CHECHI………….

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) literally means “imperfectly formed bone.” People with osteogenesis imperfecta have a genetic defect that impairs the body’s ability to make strong bones.

Some people have a more severe form of the condition. Their bones break easily and they may break hundreds of bones during their lives. Many people, however, have a milder form of OI, and go through life with few fractures.

In people with osteogenesis imperfecta, one of the genes that tells the body how to make a specific protein does not function. This protein (type I collagen) is a major component of the connective tissues in bones. Type I collagen is also important in forming ligaments, teeth, and the white outer tissue of the eyeballs (sclera).

As a result of the defective gene, not enough type I collagen is produced, or the collagen that is produced is of poor quality. In either case, the result is fragile bones that break easily but can heal at a normal rate.

In most cases of OI, children inherit the defective gene from one of their parents. But, the child’s symptoms and the degree of disability can be very different from that of the parent.

In some children, neither parent has osteogenesis imperfecta. In these cases, the genetic defect is a spontaneous mutation (change) in the gene, and it stops functioning correctly.

There are different types of osteogenesis imperfecta with symptoms that range from mild to severe. Each person with the condition may have a different combination of symptoms. All people with OI, however, have weaker bones.

Some common symptoms of OI include:

• Short stature
• Triangular-shaped face
• Breathing problems
• Hearing loss
• Brittle teeth
• Bone deformities, such as bowed legs or scoliosis

Osteogenesis imperfecta is relatively rare. Approximately 20,000 to 50,000 people in the United States have the condition.

In many children with osteogenesis imperfecta, the number of times their bones fracture decreases significantly as they mature. However, osteogenesis imperfecta may become active again after menopause in women or after the age of 60 in men.

Scoliosis, or curvature of the spine, is a problem for many children with osteogenesis imperfecta.

There are several types of osteogenesis imperfecta and they vary in severity and characteristics. As scientists have discovered new genetic problems causing OI, new types of the disorder have been recognized. All types of the disorder, however, have symptoms and severity that fall somewhere within the range of the first four types recognized. These four types are described below.

In many cases, broken bones that occur with little or no force are the first sign of osteogenesis imperfecta, and will cause your doctor to suspect the condition.

While there is no cure for osteogenesis imperfecta, there are ways to improve a child’s quality of life. Treatment is individualized and depends on the severity of the disease and the age of the patient. Care is provided by a team of healthcare professionals, including several types of doctors, a physical therapist, a nurse-clinician, and a social worker. Support from a social worker or psychologist is very helpful for both the child and the family, and often becomes even more important during adolescence.

Surgical Treatment

Surgery may be recommended in cases of:

• Repeated fractures of the same bone
• Fractures that do not heal properly
• Bone deformity, such as scoliosis

This 14-year-old boy with osteogenesis imperfecta has scoliosis. Scoliosis is a sideways curve of the spine. Instead of a straight line down the middle of the back, this spine has two curves.

Courtesy of Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.

Rodding. Metal rods may be inserted in the long bones of the arms and legs to help reinforce the bone, and subsequently lessen the number of fractures. Some rods are a fixed length and must be replaced as a child grows. Other rods are designed like telescopes, and they expand as a child’s bones grow. There are,however, other complications that may occur with telescoping rods. Do not hesitate to ask your orthopaedic surgeon about both rodding options.

Spinal fusion for scoliosis. Although bracing is the usual treatment for scoliosis, it is not often effective in children with osteogenesis  imperfecta because the ribs will become deformed from the brace, without preventing the scoliosis from worsening. Spinal fusion, a surgery in which the bones of the spine are realigned and fused together, may be recommended when the scoliosis becomes severe.

Below are some tips developed by the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation for taking care of children with osteogenesis imperfecta. Most importantly, do not feel guilty if your child breaks a bone. Children must grow and develop, and fractures will occur no matter how careful you are.

• Do not be afraid to touch or hold an infant with osteogenesis imperfecta, but be careful. To lift an infant with osteogenesis imperfecta, spread your fingers apart and put one hand between the legs and under the buttocks, and place the other hand behind the shoulders, neck, and head.
• Never lift a child with osteogenesis imperfecta by holding him or her under the armpits.
• Do not pull on arms or legs or, in those with severe osteogenesis imperfecta, lift the legs by the ankles to change a diaper.
• Select an infant car seat that reclines. It should be easy to place or remove your child in the seat. Consider padding the seat with foam and using a layer of foam between your child and the harness.
• Be sure your stroller is large enough to accommodate casts. Do not use a sling- or umbrella-type stroller.
• Follow your doctor’s instructions carefully, especially with regard to cast care and mobility exercises. Swimming and walking are often recommended as safe exercises.
• Adults with OI should avoid activities such as smoking, drinking, and taking steroids because they have a negative impact on bone density.
• Increasing awareness of child abuse and a lack of awareness about osteogenesis imperfecta may lead to inaccurate conclusions about a family situation. Always have a letter from your family doctor and a copy of your child’s medical records handy.

Wheelchair