Shriners help Belize kids with bone problems
For over twenty-five years, doctors from the Shriners Hospitals for Children located in St. Louis, Missouri, have been volunteering their services to help local kids with bone disorders and other developmental problems. To date over a hundred boys and girls from all over the country have received specialists’ care in the U.S.A. This week, volunteers from Shriners are back in Belize to recruit the next group of patients and today spent the day seeing dozens of young people at the KHMH. Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. John Sheridan says there are already a number of potential clients.
Dr. John Sheridan, Orthopaedic Surgeon
?Probably the more complex issues that we see relate to spinal problems, namely scoliosis which is an s-shaped curve that develops in the spine for reasons that are unclear. Today we saw a little child with a dislocated hip that is a developmental problem. We saw a number of children with clubbed feet, which is a developmental problem. We?ve seen some interesting forms of bow legs called Blount?s disease, which is a growth abnormality, causes a curvature of the knees coming from the upper end of the shin bone, the Tibia.?
Patrick Jones
?Now you?ve seen these children, what happens now??
Dr. John Sheridan
?Well what we do is we have a discussion with the medical staff here, Mr. Waight and his staff and the other orthopaedic physicians as to their ability to work this into the system. The technology follow up, some economic issues come into the picture and once this is all washed out, we have the ability to transport the children to the States to St. Louis and then I am able to take care of them at the Shriners hospital in St. Louis an this is with the support of rotary district helping with transportation social issues, legal issues. And we have a very strong support staff here in Belize who helps with a lot of the social issues and a very good support and communicative system.?
Patrick Jones
?How many of these children that you saw today will end up in St, Louis??
Dr. John Sheridan
?Well we have ear marked ten or eleven children with potential problems that we could help with if that seems to be appropriate.?
On Thursday the special clinics move to Succotz Village in Cayo and Belmopan and on Friday the doctors will be checking out children with bone problems at the Southern Regional hospital in Dangriga.
