Richmond, Va. -- Jamilyn Ward, 8, stands a lot taller than would ever have been possible without help from a Shriners Hospital for Children.
Thanks to a series of plaster casts over four years, the curvature of her spine from scoliosis has been reduced from a debilitating 52 degrees to 27 degrees. By the time she reaches bone maturity at about age 15, her spine is expected to be in the normal range.
Her mother, Vonda Pierce of Montross, brought her to a Shriners screening clinic in Henrico County yesterday to show a success story for the free hospital system. They get services from a Shriners Hospital in Erie, Pa.
"She will not be disabled when they are through with this procedure," Pierce said. "We're really blessed by the Shriners."
The Shriners operate 22 hospitals in North America to offer free care for orthopedic problems, severe burns, spinal cord injury and cleft lip.
The budget last year was $775 million, down from a pre-recession high of $824 million, which was funded completely by an endowment that reached a high of $9 billion. As the stock market plunged, losses in the endowment encouraged a vote in 2009 to accept third-party payments from insurance for the first time. Services will remain free to the patients, whether they have insurance or not.
more Montross girl is a Shriners success story | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Thanks to a series of plaster casts over four years, the curvature of her spine from scoliosis has been reduced from a debilitating 52 degrees to 27 degrees. By the time she reaches bone maturity at about age 15, her spine is expected to be in the normal range.
Her mother, Vonda Pierce of Montross, brought her to a Shriners screening clinic in Henrico County yesterday to show a success story for the free hospital system. They get services from a Shriners Hospital in Erie, Pa.
"She will not be disabled when they are through with this procedure," Pierce said. "We're really blessed by the Shriners."
The Shriners operate 22 hospitals in North America to offer free care for orthopedic problems, severe burns, spinal cord injury and cleft lip.
The budget last year was $775 million, down from a pre-recession high of $824 million, which was funded completely by an endowment that reached a high of $9 billion. As the stock market plunged, losses in the endowment encouraged a vote in 2009 to accept third-party payments from insurance for the first time. Services will remain free to the patients, whether they have insurance or not.
more Montross girl is a Shriners success story | Richmond Times-Dispatch