This table, ‘Erin’s table’ was a gamechanger.
Erin was originally diagnosed with DDH (developmental dysplasia of the hip) when she was 18 months old after we realised something wasn’t quite right when she began to walk. In November 2020, Erin underwent her first major surgery – open reduction Salter Osteotomy with spica cast application at AlderHey Hospital in Liverpool.
We knew the surgery was going to be difficult but being able to plan how we would manage the logistics of the spica cast post op was one thing that kept us rational during a whirl wind of appointments all in amongst the height of COVID-19 restrictions.
We knew the spica cast would cover Erin from the armpits around the chest all the way to the ankle of one or both legs (it turned out to be both) and that her legs would be cast around 180 degrees at the hip and around 90 degrees at the knee, holding her in a fixed position, making her immobile, uncomfortable and unable to sit conventionally.
We asked Ian, due to his joinery experience, to design and make a spica chair for Erin. It turned out to be a huge success for us and Ian quickly realised he could help many more children to enjoy their daily lives whilst in a spica cast.
We spent long days at home, with Erin spending much of her time in the spica chair. Don’t get me wrong, we had to shake it up. Regular turning and positioning are very important to help prevent bedsores, keep up strength, reduce swelling and increase comfort. We propped her up on a pillow thrown where she enjoyed being queen of the sofa watching cartoons and we balanced her on a toy chest that we wedged between furniture and she also spent a considerable amount of time lying on top of us.
But as a practical seating option, where she could play with her toys, do ALL the crafts that amazon could supply and enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner, the difference the spica chair made to Erin on a daily basis was immeasurable.
Erin had somewhere to colour, read her books, make a mess with playdough and use as a table for eating. It was a place she could feel normal; a place where building a lego tower was the biggest challenge of her day; a place to forget that she’d lost the freedom to roam around.
It collapsed into slotting pieces which fit easily into the car and was super easy to erect. This meant we could visit family on Christmas day and escape the house for more than just a walk around the block in the stroller. It also meant (when we got braver) that Erin could attend the odd morning with childminder (another person we are eternally thankful to have had during this journey) with somewhere safe for her to sit and play with her little pals. Giving us the ability to go back to work periodically and gain some normality.
Erin’s spica chair was an integral part of a long journey. Without the chair, for those ten weeks, our daily life would have been so much more difficult.
At first, when her cast came off, it was just about getting those little legs moving again. Honestly, I wasn’t entirely prepared for this next stage – I had just concentrated on the surgery and cast life. They took the cast off and she’d lost muscle and looked all out of proportion with super thin legs and she still held her legs in the same horse riding position she’d been in whilst in the cast – she was super nervous to move her legs but overtime with lots of baths and visits to the swimming pool, she began to loosen up and she starting moving more and more and eventually began to learn to walk again. The second time round a little more cautious but strong and independent through and through. She’d reach for my hand more and stumble when she was tired but each day I watched her climb a little higher, a little further and a little less shy.
It isn’t over yet, 3 years on and she has regular check-ups and is she is monitored to ensure that she doesn’t struggle with avascular necrosis – a potential long-term complication of having developmental dysplasia of the hip. But watching Erin bumble about with her little mates, putting one foot in front of the other, just walking… makes us so very proud. I would never have thought she’d have to learn to walk twice before she was two. But today, she bossed her swimming lesson, ran around the house being a shark, jumped precariously from the sofa onto a mountain of pillows, climbed the stairs, rolled around the living room floor playing with barbies and danced in the kitchen – all while using her extraordinary hip!
Written by Jennie, Erin’s wonderful mum
