Dr. Tim Mead is an on-staff surgeon at the Tebow CURE Hospital. As such, he can attest to the sort of procedures that are undertaken there.
The case of one 11-year-old named Aldrin, however, shocked even him. Aldrin had a horrible congenital knee deformity, which Mead described as leaving him to walk like a flamingo.
“Essentially, Aldrin’s knee bends the wrong way like a flamingo,” Mead wrote on the CUREblog. “When we see children with knees like this early, we can often cast the knees and improve them …
“When young, the surgery is much less involved. At age 14, surgery is a true challenge.”
Since Aldrin’s problem had been ignored for the entirety of his life, Mead and his team had their work cut out for them. First there was stretched skin on the front of Aldrin’s leg, then there was also a contracted tendon and even a malformed femur.
Without going into too much detail, Mead’s work – undertaken so as to alter Aldrin’s legs so that they function properly – involved slicing, dividing, sawing, hammering, screwing and stitching. In the end, the 11-year-old’s surgery was a success.
Following the operation, the boy now must undergo physical therapy. His journey is far from over, but if he sticks to his program he’ll not only be able to stand up properly, but walk like a normal child as well well.
“When he had surgery, it was okay because their staff gave us encouragement, and they take care of us very well,” Aldrin’s mom said.
“They encourage me and gave me strength that God knows and has an idea of what is best for him. God is in control just like in your doctors and whatever is good for Aldrin.”
We’re so thankful that Aldrin has a second chance, and all because of Tim Tebow’s brilliant foundation. Without it, who knows what Aldrin’s life would have been like!
We can’t be the only ones that want to say a big thank you to Tim, Dr. Mead and his team, and wish Aldrin well! Share this article if you do to!