Mckenna's Story

 

Mckenna at the 2011 POD Feis

Mckenna had great success throughout 2012 competitions!
POD Feis; Stewart Feis, NAN's in Chicago; Dance For Life Feis

Mckenna wins 1st place in U-9 at the 2012 Oireachtas

NPIDA dancer Mckenna L was diagnosed with Perthes Disease in February 2013 and underwent surgery at BC Children's Hospital in April. Many people within the NPIDA family have seen her out and about on crutches, but don't really know the full story regarding what she and her family have been through these past 9 months. Thank you very much to Mckenna and family for graciously agreeing to share their story here on the blog!

Story suggestion from Leanne A; written by Mckenna's mom Krista; edited by Moira. Photos by Cheryl G, Krista and Jay, and Moira.

In November 2012, about two weeks after Mckenna won the Western Canadian Oireachtas for U-9, she started complaining that her left leg hurt. We all thought it was just a pulled muscle from all the dancing she had been doing and maybe overdid it at the Oireachtas. Two weeks later in December, she woke up limping and in lots of pain. 

 

Mckenna attending physio before her diagnosis

We took her to physio and massage therapy a few times a week, saw our family doctor and started seeing a chiropractor. They all said it seemed to be a pulled muscle and overuse injury. The doctor said it could take months to get better, and to just take it easy. In January 2013, Mckenna continued dancing and going for treatments but was not getting better. Her left leg was painful and cracking, and it was getting harder to dance. Thanks to Sabine's mom, Marion, we insisted on getting an x-ray (the doctor was reluctant to expose any child to radiation unless it was obviously necessary).

We got the devastating news a few days later in February. Mckenna was diagnosed with Perthes Disease. This is a condition that for unknown reasons, the hip loses its blood supply and the top of the femur bone will start to fragment over time. The bone will eventually grow back but it takes 2-3 years. It progresses in 4 stages: the loss of blood flow, the painful fragmentation, the soft bone growth with the return of blood flow and then hardening of the bone.

Perthes Disease affects about 25-30 children per year in B.C. Doctors are not sure why kids get it; for Mckenna it was not caused by dancing. A lot of cases apparently go undetected because everyone thinks it's growing pains. It happens to active and non-active kids all over the world and it usually happens to boys ages 5-9, so Mckenna was quite rare being female and almost 10.

This meant no weight-bearing at all as this would cause the femur head to disintegrate more and flatten. We were absolutely devastated. No walking and no dancing for years. We couldn't believe this could happen to Mckenna who was so talented, loved dancing and was very active. 

Mckenna was put on crutches right away. She was unable to do what she loved most, and was suddenly taken away from many of her friends. This also meant no Nationals in Anaheim in July 2013 where the whole family was coming to watch. In Anaheim, Mckenna was hoping to qualify for her first World Championships. For years, she has been dreaming of competing at the World Championships in London in 2014. Of all the cities in the world, Mckenna wants to visit London the most.

After finally seeing the specialist at Children's Hospital in March, Mckenna was told she would be a good candidate for surgery. Not all doctors believe surgery is the best option for Perthes Disease. It was not mandatory, so we had to make a decision. The surgery wouldn't cure the disease, but it would keep the femur head in the hip socket while she heals. Sometimes when the femur head disintegrates, it can move out of the hip socket and this can lead to problems later on in life. We did weeks of research and agonized over what to do, as no one wants to put their child through major surgery.

Left: Mckenna and dad Jay just prior to her surgery
Right: Mckenna post-surgery, with little sister Sage

We decided to go ahead with surgery on April 24th at Children's Hospital, as we thought this would give Mckenna the best chance to heal normally and return to dancing. The surgeon cut her femur bone and tilted it so that it is sitting deeper in the hip socket. He installed temporary metal plates in her bone to hold it in place. Mckenna spent 3 days in bed at Children's Hospital with an epidural, hooked up to many machines and tubes and couldn't move. Imagine how difficult this was for a child we put in Irish dancing specifically because she never ever stopped moving!

Mckenna wasn't in pain as they gave her lots of pain medication but she was very tired, sad and frustrated. On the 4th day, she was allowed to slowly get up and walk with her crutches. She was already pretty good on crutches so she was allowed to go home to recover. She missed a few weeks of school but returned in May using a wheelchair and crutches.

Mckenna sees the surgeon and gets a new x-ray every 6 weeks at Children's Hospital. In July, the surgeon said she is in advanced stage 2. She is supposed to swim as much as she can and ride her bike, as this helps with movement and flexibility. She will be using crutches until November and then can try to walk without them. The surgeon even said that she might be able to start dancing with the metal plates still in.

The surgeon says Mckenna will definitely dance again and he is actually tailoring her treatment toward that goal! We were excited to hear this news. Mckenna has lost a lot of strength and flexibility in her left leg so it will take her a long time to get back into shape. Next spring or summer, she will have surgery to remove the metal plates and we will continue to see the surgeon until she is 18.

Mckenna and friends at the 2013 POD Feis
1 month after her surgery

Mckenna's leg and hip crack still and she is sore and tired from using crutches. She has moments of sadness and frustration. No playing tag, no cartwheels, no climbing trees, no sports day, etc. She feels left out a lot because she can't keep up. She comes to watch Sage dance and see her friends but seeing everyone in their solo dresses, holding their trophies, showing off their new cool steps, etc is hard for her. Sometimes she can't bear to watch or hear about Irish dancing at all. She wishes she could wear her beautiful new Gavin dress that she only wore once - at the 2012 Oireachtas.

Mckenna has joined art classes and swimming lessons to keep her busy. Some people suggested that she might find a hobby that she enjoys as much or more than Irish dancing, but it is clear that Irish dancing is her passion and she cannot wait to start again. Someone told her that "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger". Mckenna has always been very strong, and we know this experience will help her in all parts of her life.

Thank you to everyone who gave Mckenna cards and sent messages over the past few months. It really helped her feel like she is still a part of the NPIDA family while she recovers! 

Mckenna at the docks, August 2012
You will soar again Mckenna!