Bone fracture, a blessing in disguise

Beyond their blue eyes and big smiles, Blake and Kayla Spellman share a unique, hidden bond. In February of 2014, 15 months after inquisitive and fun-loving Blake was born, there was something amiss. He was holding his arm as if in a sling and his parents didn’t know why. Seeking an explanation, the Spellmans took Blake to see his pediatrician. “After the doctor came back from viewing an x-ray, you could just tell she was concerned, beyond an obvious broken wrist,” says Blake’s dad Dan. “She ended up recommending we take him right to Boston Children’s Hospital.” At the Emergency Department at Boston Children’s, Blake was referred to Orthopedics and then to Endocrinology, where he was seen by Dr. Nina Ma, a pediatric endocrinologist and director of the Bone Health Program at Boston Children’s. “When I looked at the x-ray, I saw cupping and fraying at the wrist, which is a sign he might have something called rickets,” says Dr. Ma. Rickets is a softening and weakening of the bone typically caused by a lack of vitamin D in the diet or insufficient sun exposure. However, Blake was a great milk drinker and an otherwise healthy boy who spent a lot of time outdoors. “That evening Dr. Ma called to let us know Blake’s calcium level was dangerously low, and it would be best to bring him to Boston Children’s,” says Dan. A rare, inherited form of rickets Dr. Ma visited Blake’s hospital room the next day, pulled up a chair and began describing a...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Our patients’ stories bone bone health Bone Health Program rickets Source Type: news