ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY
MATTHEW DEVELOPED A BONE INFECTION in his early years and his left femur stopped growing, creating a large discrepancy in the length of his legs and leaving him with a severe limp. Initially cared for away from Vancouver Island for many years, Matthew received two lengthening procedures that required a bulky external frame to keep his left leg together. The apparatus he wore was heavy and frequently became infected. It also carried a social and emotional toll as it served as a constant reminder of his disability. When Matthew came to Dr. Brent Weatherhead, Orthopedic Surgeon with Island Health, he knew he could do better for him. Matthew was the first person in B.C. to benefit from new lengthening technology. “In December 2015, we placed a growing rod inside of Matthew’s left femur and stabilized it with internal pins. The procedure took a short 45 minutes and Matthew was up on his crutches the very next day with no external evidence of this procedure,” says Dr. Weatherhead. “For the technology to work, Matthew had to manually help it along. For the next 75 days, he held a remote controller to his leg for 3 minutes, 3 times a day. The controller used magnets to lengthen the femur internally, slowly and painlessly. In two and a half months, the femur grew by 7.5 cm, and Matthew was, for the first time, walking without a limp.” Matthew was grateful for his revolutionary procedure. “What Dr. Weatherhead did for me changed my life. The surgery and lengthening technology were painless. The summer after my surgery, I was surfing in Tofino with my classmates and I now play full-back on our school’s rugby team.” To perform Matthew’s surgery and the majority of the 5,000 orthopedic procedures performed annually, Dr. Weatherhead and his colleagues make use of special orthopedic tools, 18 of which will be funded through this campaign. Orthopedic Surgery Equipment: $178,600 victoriahf.ca/orthopedicsurgery