Sam is Short Statured with Kyphoscoliosis. Kyphoscoliosis describes an abnormal curvature of the spine. It is a combination of both kyphosis and scoliosis. Kyphoscoliosis is a musculoskeletal disorder causing chronic under-ventilation of the lungs and may be one of the major causes of pulmonary hypertension (abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. It makes the right side of the heart need to work harder than normal).
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| Example of Kyphoscoliosis in a 10-year-old girl |
What that meant for Sam is that when he was first referred to the Heartwell Foundation at the age of 13 years old, he was 123 cm’s tall. He had already had three spinal fusion surgeries, along with hip surgery. Further future surgery was planned for him to prevent more curvature of his spine.
All of this caused Sam to have poor mobility. He often had back pain and sore and tired legs. So with all these challenges to face together we embarked on Sam’s Physical Education program.
Swimming for Sam, was ideal for many reasons. It was non weight bearing, and took all that pressure of his spine and the muscles in his back. It also provided an opportunity to develop Sam’s lung capacity, through ventilation exercise in the water. He enjoyed the activity and made steady progress.
Sam loved to play tennis, although it was not always easy for him. So in addition to his swimming program we worked on his tennis skills and mobility around the court. As he got older he also worked hard in the gym, doing some light resistance training and pushing himself on the cardio equipment.
He was part of the Heartwell team for three years.
The last time we saw Sam was on the television news and then again in the newspaper. Turns out he has done all right for himself and become quite the celebrity! Especially in the world of Short Statured sport. He now represents Australia in the Short Statured Basketball Team. He is currently preparing for the Sixth World Dwarf Games to be held in Michigan, USA, from 3-10 August 2013.
Well done Sam. Bring home the gold.
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| Some Australian Boomers meets some players from the Australian Short Statured Basketball Team. |
Enjoying reading these inspirational stories of some amazing young people. It's a credit to yourself and Scott and your extended team at the foundation.
ReplyDeleteHi Kevin, great to hear from you. Thank you for reading the stories and giving me some feedback. It is always nice to know people are actually reading these posts!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that these children are amazing and so are their families. They teach us everyday to be happy with our lot in life. Please keep reading. Thanks J