2018 – Edilzar Lopez Esteban
https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/new-spinal-technology-at-dell-childrens-heals-patients-kyphoscoliosis/269-623239326?fbclid=IwAR2qJcb1cn8tpv35jx0q_mBq8JlapgYSxbTlcDd0j8YUJwRs9tFxsZZLCmY
Meet Edilzar “Samuel” Lopez Esteban, a 14-year-old boy from Guatemala suffering from severe kyphoscoliosis. After years of pain and discomfort, Samuel received 4 weeks of Halo Gravity Traction (due to the severity of his case), followed by corrective spine surgery at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas (performed by surgeon, Dr. Matthew Geck of Seton Spine and Scoliosis Center) in Fall 2018.
This opportunity was made possible, in large part, due to the generosity of Medtronic’s Spine division who agreed to sponsor Samuel’s travel, lodging, food, medication and medical tests/services prior to surgery. Not only did they provide financial support for this young man, but they also donated the vital implants and product needed for his 6-8 hour corrective spine surgery. SpineHope appreciates Medtronic’s ongoing partnership and their willingness to go above and beyond to help this teen in need.
Thank you also to the amazing team of individuals and organizations that made the surgery yesterday possible:
– Dell Children’s Medical Center/Ascension (Provided surgical care, PICU team, nursing staff, specialty services, hospitalization and recovery services);
– Dr. Matthew Geck of Seton Spine and Scoliosis Center (Spine Surgeon);
– Dr. Marcela Madera of Austin Brain and Spine (Neurosurgeon)
– Wynn Gordy and NuVasive Spine Foundation (Provided Neuromonitoring Services); and
– Dr. Mark Gunn and US Anesthesia Partners (Provided anesthesia services)
Samuel’s Story Started with his Mother’s Cry for Help:
Dear Dra. Dawn Deakin and SpineHope,
I send you a warm and affectionate greeting and I wish with all my heart all kinds of wellness for your life. I’m reaching out to you about my 14 year old son, Edilzar Samuel López Esteban. In February 2016, he was diagnosed with scoliosis and was told that surgery is the only option to correct his condition.
This is the reason why I come to you, to request your help and support in this difficult situation that I am, as a parent, going through. I’m wishing that through this organization my son can receive the necessary attention for his disease which continues to progress fast. Sadly, in my country, we don’t have this type of help and, if someone comes to perform the surgery, it costs a lot of money and money is something that I don’t have because I’m a single mom with low income.
Sincerely I can tell you, I don’t want to see my son grow with that deformity in his body. As a mother, it hurts me to see him like that. My wish as a mother is to see my son well physically, because it really hurts me to see how his back is deforming. – Marleny Eugenia Esteban Velásquez