Wenda

🙏 One of the reasons I’m a HIPpy is so passionate about raising awareness about Hip Dysplasia is because we know the impacts a late diagnosis can have on a person’s life — first hand!

Wenda, a HIPpy Board Member, has been living with Congenital Hip Dysplasia for her entire life. But it wasn’t until 9 years ago, when she was 24, that she was finally diagnosed.

🩺 Since she can remember, she has always had a slight limp and pain when walking. Even after seeing multiple doctors, paediatricians, and chiropractors as a child, her pain remained undiagnosed, and was brushed off as “growing pains.”

She was led to believe that she had a low tolerance for pain and that it was all in her mind.

👯‍♀️ Growing up, the joy of recreational activities such as dance, gymnastics, and ringette were stripped away because of the intense pain. And unfortunately, because there was no diagnosis, many of her instructors continued to push her to perform all activities, even though she physically could not do them properly.

As Wenda got older, the pain continued to get worse, to the point where it was excruciatingly painful to walk even half a block down the street.

At 24, she decided to investigate the pain for herself, and went to see a physiotherapist; who suspected it was Hip Dysplasia.

🎗 She was then referred to a sports medicine doctor who confirmed that she had BEEN BORN WITH Developmental Hip Dysplasia.

By the time Wenda was diagnosed, it was too late for her to be treated by non-invasive procedures, and the only option was to have a hip replacement.

😑 But sadly, she was still too young to qualify for a hip replacement due to complications and revisions that would be needed over time.

Instead, it was recommended that she wait as long as she can — and continue living with the pain — in order to minimize the number of revisions that she will need to go through.

💚 The most heartbreaking part of this story is that if Wenda had been diagnosed early on, it likely could have been treated with minimal invasive techniques and she would not have had to grow up, and continue to live with the agonizing pain caused by Hip Dysplasia.