Dear Healthy Hips family and friends,
Three and a half years ago, when I was 34 weeks pregnant, I was told my baby was breech. “They will likely have some problems with their hips”, was what the obstetrician told me. I can pinpoint that day as when I first became aware of the common childhood condition hip dysplasia (also called developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), clicky hips and congenital hip dysplasia).
Yesterday both my girls, Eve (3.5yo) and Maya (1.5yo), got the all clear to not see their orthopaedic surgeon again until November 2016. Eve stopped her treatment 18-months ago, today was her first one-year review. Maya stops nighttime bracing tonight; her hips are well within normal limits. This is the first time, since having children, that hip dysplasia treatment and reviews won’t pop up every couple of months. Is it behind us? Not yet. Eve’s hips are just outside the normal range so we will continue to monitor them.
I was bewildered when Eve’s two-month stint in a hip harness turned into a two-year ordeal. While Maya’s journey was less stressful, I’ve become all too familiar with the lack of awareness, education and support specific to hip dysplasia in Australia. That inspired me to launch Healthy Hips Australia. To help other families feel less overwhelmed when faced with a healthy hips journey please consider making a donation towards our work this festive period.
How You Can Help With HHA’s Mission
I set up Healthy Hips Australia as a national charity to unite the Australian DDH community and instigate national change. Your donation will help with the following;
(1) Hip dysplasia awareness campaign to put hip dysplasia on the national agenda. We can’t stop this condition from occurring but we can educate people about healthy hip development and the potential signs & symptoms of hip dysplasia.
(2) Increase educational resources for parents, caregivers, daycare providers and community based health providers.
(3) Expand the support networks and services we’re already offering.
Click here to make your tax-deductible donation now. We also welcome your support via the running of fundraising events and awareness raising for our charity’s cause.
Thank you for helping make a real change sooner for people with hip dysplasia.
x
Sarah, Eve & Maya
PS. I’ve written about our journey before; if you’re curious to have a read, follow these links: