Teen’s life: 30 broken bones in only 13 years
Charlotte Oliver was only a few seconds old when she broke her first bone.
As doctors removed her from her mother’s womb, her femur broke. It was her first fracture, but it wouldn’t be her last.
At 13, Charlotte has had at least 30 bone breaks that have resulted in numerous surgeries.
Charlotte was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, more commonly known as brittle bones. The genetic bone disorder affects the way the body produces collagen, and can range from mild – with only a few breaks during a person’s lifetime – to so severe that bones can fracture without any apparent cause.
Charlotte has been classed as having a medium to severe form of the disorder.
For mum Amanda Oliver that meant keeping an even closer eye on Charlotte when she started crawling and walking.
Where other babies might lose their balance and topple over without incident, the same fall could mean breaking bones in both legs for Charlotte.
‘‘We never wrapped her in cotton wool. We always let her explore and do things herself. But within reason,’’ Oliver said. ‘‘There are obviously things Charlotte can’t do, such as jump on a trampoline.’’
Charlotte remembers an incident when she was about 8 and wanted to get some putty off the coffee table.
‘‘I saw the putty and instead of taking another step towards it, I launched for it.
‘‘I went down on my knees and broke both femurs. It was so painful.’’
When she was younger, such breaks would often result in Charlotte getting a hip spica, a type of plaster cast that covers one or both legs from the ankles to the belly button. Now that she is older, these are not used.
Charlotte recently had titanium rods inserted into her femurs to strengthen the bones, and could possibly get the same done in her tibia bones in the future. She also gets annual collagen infusions to strengthen her bones.
‘‘It makes a big difference,’’ Oliver said. ‘‘On the X-ray you can almost see it fill in the cracks in her bone.’’
Charlotte uses a walker to get around inside her house and a wheelchair for activities outside, including going to school at Papanui High School. She was not fussed about having to use a wheelchair, and neither were her friends, Charlotte said.
‘‘Everything at the school is really accessible because there are other kids that also use wheelchairs. My friends don’t notice the wheelchair, they just don’t see it. They just see me for who I am.’’
Even though there are things she can’t do because of her brittle bones, Charlotte never feels like she is missing out.
‘‘I’ve just kind of adapted. I’ve always known what are the things I can’t do, and then I’d just find things I can do.
‘‘Ice skating for instance. If I knew I couldn’t do it, then I would go ten-pin bowling. There is always something else I can do. It is much better to focus on the things you can do than the things you can’t.’’