Raising Awareness

Until 3 months ago we knew little about Developmental Dysplasia of the Hips (DDH). I knew as infants both my children were tested in there monthly checks. I remember the doctor saying "I'm checking the hips now" and a bunch of crazy movements done but never was I giving information about DDH. Most people don't know much about it or the seriousness of it. The older your child is diagnosed the more evasive the treatment can be. Recently the month of June became National Hip Dysplasis Awareness month. It is so important for more people to understand what DDH is and to spread the word. In other countries it is the norm for an infant to get a scan at 1 month to check for dysplasia or dislocation. In the US a baby is only scanned if DDH runs in the family or if your baby was breech, just to name a few. Full dislocation is even harder to diagnose until your child is of walking age and every month she is walking damage is being done.

Unfortunately this is what happened to Ava. She was born with bilateral hip dislocation. I can't change the course our life (or her) life has taken but we can help raise awareness to prevent other children from going through what Ava will endure. I wish I had known more about DDH and knew what to look for. As a family we want to help raise awareness and get the word out. We are raising money in Ava's name to help the research of DDH and hopefully in the future make it the norm in the US for babies to be scanned. You can purchase DDH bracelets from us for a $1 (or more if your feeling generous).  Or you can go to  www.hipdysplasia.org and make a donation. Thank you to everyone for your love and support. xoxoxo