I'm taking Abby and Makenna to see the new movie Dolphin Tale tomorrow. I first heard about the movie from a friend in Florida. Her son also has HGPPS. His curve is much worse than Makenna's. It was 90 degrees before they found casting as an option. He is one year older than Makenna and is currently in a brace. He was originally supposed to have surgery last January. They decided to postpone and try him in a brace. He is doing really well; considering where he started. His brace is made by a company called Hanger Orthopedics. They use CAD/CAM technology to create and mold a brace custom to the needs of the patient. While speaking with his mom recently, she told me of a really cool visit they had to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. There was a dolphin there who had lost his tail and as a result began swimming in a way that he developed scoliosis. Hanger Orthopedics created a prosthetic tail for him so that he could once again swim like a dolphin :) She told me they were making a movie, something about Morgan Freeman being in it... and then I started seeing the trailers.
I am so excited about the prospects. I hope that Makenna identifies with Winter, the dolphin, and takes pride in her brace. I hope it makes her feel special. But I also worry that it will make Abby feel like she one again isn't "special". It's a dillema that I don't often talk about, but it's very real and I'm sure other families face the same issues with siblings. It's more than typical sibling rivalry... it's hard to explain to Abby that she doesn't want the kind of attention that she feels Makenna gets. Abby doesn't see the needles for the blood draws, or the effects of anesthesia, or the limitaions of the brace. She just sees the extra time and effort it takes to get Makenna to her various doctors appointments and the stuffed animals given by doctors. I am hopeful that the character of the little boy who befriends Winter can offer Abby something to identify with, too :) But then, it's also possible that I'm reading WAY too much into this and it'll just be a cute movie that they both like and they get no deeper meaning from..... LOL.
I am so excited about the prospects. I hope that Makenna identifies with Winter, the dolphin, and takes pride in her brace. I hope it makes her feel special. But I also worry that it will make Abby feel like she one again isn't "special". It's a dillema that I don't often talk about, but it's very real and I'm sure other families face the same issues with siblings. It's more than typical sibling rivalry... it's hard to explain to Abby that she doesn't want the kind of attention that she feels Makenna gets. Abby doesn't see the needles for the blood draws, or the effects of anesthesia, or the limitaions of the brace. She just sees the extra time and effort it takes to get Makenna to her various doctors appointments and the stuffed animals given by doctors. I am hopeful that the character of the little boy who befriends Winter can offer Abby something to identify with, too :) But then, it's also possible that I'm reading WAY too much into this and it'll just be a cute movie that they both like and they get no deeper meaning from..... LOL.