A Little Hero

Your generosity gave Derek a chance to soar.

Mayra and Ronnie were thrilled to welcome their baby boy in July 2012.

Derek was five months old when Mayra noticed a bump on his right shoulder blade. “I had a normal pregnancy, and thought Derek was perfectly healthy until I noticed his right shoulder blade stuck out more than his left,” said Mayra. “I took him to urgent care, where x-rays revealed he had scoliosis.”

Concerned, Mayra began a search for a physician who could help her baby; she found an orthopedic specialist at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio.

“The physician we met with told us the curvature of Derek’s spine was very severe,” Mayra said. “Luckily, he agreed to help when other doctors were wary about taking on the challenge.”

The curvature of Derek’s spine had reached 70 degrees when he turned one year old. His initial treatment was Mehta casting, which is usually effective for early onset scoliosis. The cast started under Derek’s armpits and went down to his lower waist.

“Derek had to re-learn how to function in everyday life in his new cast,” Mayra said. “Our hope was that the cast would stabilize his spine and stop it from getting worse. He did casting for several more years.”

At three years old, Derek underwent evaluations for a vertical expandable prosthetic titanium rib (VEPTR), a world-renowned treatment developed by physicians at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio in the 1980s. The VEPTR helps straighten the spine and separate the ribs to allow the lungs to grow and expand as the child grows. This procedure requires several surgeries until the patient reaches adulthood.

Derek met with physical and occupational therapists, nutritionists, and other specialists at The Children’s Hospital to determine if he was a candidate for VEPTR. Unfortunately, he was not. Derek continued with Mehta casting for two more years.

When Derek turned five years old, his spine curvature had reached 100 degrees.

“At this time we knew surgery was inevitable,” Mayra said. “His lung and heart capacity were being compromised by the degree of his curvature. Derek’s spine was not allowing enough room for his lungs to grow.”

Derek did halo gravity traction for three months. The halo traction helps remove the impact of gravity on the spine deformity, helping to elongate the spine and stretch the surrounding soft tissue. After seeing some improvement, Derek was suited for MAGEC™ growing rods and underwent surgery in November 2017; he went home the day after Thanksgiving.

“He did well for a few months, but the severity of his curvature won again, and the rods eventually failed,” Ronnie added. “Doctors performed surgery to repair the rod, but Derek got sick and developed very high fevers. We learned he had a spine infection.”

“At this point, Derek’s doctors removed all of the hardware,” Mayra said. “They told us to give him a break for one year, to allow some time for him to grow, gain weight, and get stronger. He went back to a brace after the rods were removed.”

Six months into his break from the hardware, Derek’s spine was getting worse. He went back to the halo traction for six weeks. Derek did well, stretched out, and gained ten pounds. He had surgery in August 2019 for traditional growing rods. He will continue to need surgery every six months to expand the rods as he grows.

“Derek is doing very well with his new rods,” Mayra said. “He has a good sense of humor and tries to make the best out of every situation. We’re so grateful for his strength and big heart.”

Thanks to your support, Derek has a chance to soar! Now seven years old, Derek is known around The Children’s Hospital for his dance moves, his love of bingo and superheroes, and playing hide-and-seek with his doctors.

“We have a long road ahead of us, but I’m grateful we have a team of specialists at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio who were willing to take a chance on my child,” Mayra added. “Our doctors believe in Derek, and they have given us so many reasons to believe in them.”

To learn more about how you can help our tiny heroes, like Derek, please visit ChildrensHospitalSAFoundation.org.