Haley’s New Knee

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Every year, 400 children in the United States get osteosarcoma. It’s rare, but it’s also the most common bone cancer in kids, and usually strikes in the leg, just above the knee. In the most challenging cases, amputation is the only way to stop the cancer. Now, a new kind of bone implant is helping to save limbs… and lives.

Step by step, Haley Richardson is beating cancer.  Last year, an MRI revealed a tumor in her right femur. To eliminate the cancer, doctors had to remove bone in Richardson’s thigh.  But her leg was saved thanks to this implant. It connects her remaining femur with her lower leg with a hinge joint to replace her knee. As Richardson grows, this unique prosthesis can be extended to grow with her.

“Traditional implants for growing kids didn't work, and they didn't work well because the child is growing, and the implant doesn't grow,” Mary I. O’Connor, MD an orthopedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic and Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla., told Ivanhoe.
“We put a little coil around Haley's leg, and we can turn that on, and that emits a signal that's picked up by a receptor in her implant that expands the coil, so the implant actually lengthens.”

 “A first, I was a little scared of it, but now, I'm starting to get used to it, and now, I'm starting to walk on it a little more than I did," Richardson said.

Richardson’s still getting the hang of her new knee and finishing up her chemo. But now, life is full of possibilities.

“She’s going to be able to ride a bike. She's going to be able to swim, dance at her prom. You know, important things like that," Dr. O’Connor said.

A brave little girl is painting a picture of a big, bright future without cancer.

Because this new pediatric implant can be expanded without surgery, doctors say it can be a good option for young osteosarcoma patients who still have some growing to do. The big drawback is the cost. Because it’s custom-made to fit the patient, it costs about $30,000, and insurance generally doesn’t cover it. In a few years, when she is full-grown, doctors may decide to give Richardson a permanent, fixed implant to replace the expandable prosthesis.

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If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Melissa Medalie at mmedalie@ivanhoe.com