Spring 201113

No parent can fully prepare for those situations that can arise after giving birth. Brad and Corina Fix had a normal pregnancy and gave birth to their first child, Devin, on June 26, 1992. After Devin was born, they noticed that he had angulated thumbs, an extra toe on his left foot and his left leg was shorter than his right. Devin was diagnosed with Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome (RTS).

RTS is a genetic disease characterized by broad thumbs and toes, short stature, distinctive facial fea-

tures and varying degrees of mental retardation. This rare condition affects about 1 in 125,000 people.

The day of Devin’s diagnosis was a difficult day. “All I can remember about that day was the big book the doctors brought in with the description of the syndrome and hearing all the things Devin would possibly never do,” said Corina. “We were only given the worse news and not a sign of hope for anything good.”

I Can Walk Again

Beyond BonesYour 14

Goofing around with his dad, Andy.

At four months old, Devin underwent his first surgery of many. During one of his routine doctor visits, an x-ray determined that Devin’s hip was out of socket. The physician tried traction to put the hip in place, but 19 days later, additional X-rays showed that Devin’s fem-oral head had not formed completely and at seven months old, Devin underwent surgery to correct it.

Devin endured many surgeries, a majority of them relating to his hips or knees. A common characteristic of RTS is dislocation of the joints. In 2003, Devin had surgery to repair his dislocated kneecap. Unfortunate-ly, this surgery was not as successful as his previous surgeries. “For whatever reason, Devin didn’t bounce back as easily as he had done with all the prior sur-geries,” Corina said. “It was at this time that Devin lost the ability to walk independently and he was only 11 years old.”

After many therapy sessions and various treatment options, nothing seemed to help Devin. Therefore, Corina and Brad started looking for a new orthopae-dist and came across OrthoIndy and Dr. Carlos Berrios, an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in pediatrics. “We did not know anything about Dr. Berrios at the time, but we walked away from the first consultation know-ing that we had found a compassionate doctor,” said Corina. “Over a five year period, Dr. Berrios explained all of our options and tried many different things, such as Botox injections, lengthening the hamstrings and continuous therapies, as well as more leg braces, but nothing was allowing Devin to walk.”

Dr. Berrios presented another treatment option, which was a very invasive surgery, assuring Devin’s parents that there was no guarantee it would work.

After considering all their options, Brad and Corina decided to go forward with the surgery. “We knew that if the surgery didn’t work then we would not put him through anymore surgeries,” said Corina. “We knew as parents that if we did not give it one last try with the surgery then the only guarantee would be that Devin would never walk again.”

On October 12, 2009, Dr. Berrios performed surgery on Devin. Devin had a flexion contracture of the knee, which means he could not extend his knee beyond 60 degrees. His leg was rotated the wrong way, keep-ing him from walking. In one of his surgeries prior to

“We knew as parents that if we did not give it one last try

with the surgery then the only

guarantee would be that Devin would never walk again.”

- Corina Fix

Beyond BonesYour 1212 Spring 2011

coming to OrthoIndy, the surgeon tried to realign the kneecap, but the kneecap was not normal and had arthritis. “In surgery, we removed the kneecap, cut the distal femur and rotated the femur in correct posi-tion,” said Dr. Berrios. “To correct the lack of extension, we took a wedge out of the femur to make the leg straight. After sur-gery, he was able to extend the knee completely with the leg in the correct position, which allowed him to walk for the first time in years.”

After ten months and 21 casts, Devin started walk-ing with braces on both legs and the use of a walker. For six years, Devin had crawled on the floor to get around and now because of Dr. Berrios he is able to walk. “We know Devin will never walk without braces or a walker, but that doesn’t matter to us,” Corina said. “What matters the most is that Dr. Berrios gave something back to Devin that was taken away from him in 2003: the ability to walk independently.”

A majority of Devin’s appointments were scheduled at OrthoIndy Downtown, where Corina says that everyone from the registration staff to the X-ray and cast techs have all become family to Devin and his

parents. And when Devin walked into his appoint-ment, Corina said the look on everyone’s faces was priceless.

Devin’s parents are extremely happy with Dr. Berrios and OrthoIndy. “We could never say thank you enough to Dr. Berrios, or the ‘Miracle Doctor’ as he is known to us,” said Corina. “We thank him for never giving up and having a heart of gold.”

Dr. Berrios was equally impressed with Devin and his family. “Devin is a great patient,” said Dr. Berrios, “He worked very hard to get to his current level of activity. He has a great disposition and has great support from his par-ents. His family support was key in his recovery.”

Devin lives in Shelbyville with his parents and broth-er Bailey, age 14. He recently turned 18 years old and is a very happy young man with a big heart and a strong spirit. He thrives on attention and his smile makes everyone feel good.

For more information on Dr. Berrios and OrthoIndy’s orthopaedic surgeons specializing in pediatrics, please visit OrthoIndy.com.

“We could never say thank you enough to Dr. Berrios, or the Miracle Doctor as he is known to us. We thank him for never giving up and having a

heart of gold.”- Corina Fix

Dr. Carlos Berrios, MD

Practice Focus:• Sports Medicine• Pediatrics• General Orthopaedics

Located At:OrthoIndy Northwest8450 Northwest BlvdIndianapolis, IN 46278

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Berrios, please call: (317) 802-2847