This past weekend, we braved the crowd at the mall to finish up our Christmas shopping. While there, we walked past a mother holding a baby girl wearing a medical halo brace around her head. It was a jarring, poignant image. . .this sweet tiny girl wearing such an industrial, macabre device. We looked at each other and didn't even have to say what we were thinking: that we are two incredibly lucky people. It put our daughter's hip dysplasia into crisp perspective.
For the past three months, Olivia has worn a Pavlik Harness to correct the hip dysplasia that was diagnosed when she was born. The day they put my perfect little baby into that harness was a rough one to say the least. I remember thinking how long 12 weeks (the prescribed treatment time) was and crying for all the big and small reasons why this wasn't fair. But today we received an early Christmas present: Olivia's treatment is complete, and she no longer has to wear the harness. An x-ray this morning showed that her hip joints have matured and the bones are just where they should be. Other than a few milestone delays, which she'll make up for quickly, she's just like any other perfectly healthy baby.
What felt like a horrible, traumatic diagnosis only three months ago is now just an early chapter in Olivia's story, something she'll have to mark down for sports physicals and a random fact she'll be able to use when she plays "Two Truths and a Lie." This Christmas, we are counting our blessings, the most important of which is sleeping soundly in her crib. . .harness-free.
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