By Lakhram Bhagirat
The relationship between parents and children is one that is considered to be sacred. Parents spend their entire lives making sure that their children are well taken care of, happy and healthy.
When their child’s health is being threatened, parent spin into panic mode because quite frankly no one can love you as much as your parents do. So when Lamar Schultz’s health was being threatened then Tali Rohlehr spun into panic mode.
She began searching for the answers.
Lamar was diagnosed with a combination of Bone Spurs and Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis (SCFE) when he was just over 13 years old. Never hearing of this condition caused Rohlehr to panic since her child has been healthy all along.
From birth, Lamar has always been healthy despite being somewhat obese. He was active and enjoyed being in sports. However, when he was about 13 he began experiencing some pains in his knees and this caused some concern for his mother. She took him to the doctor in search of answers.
There she was told that her eldest child was suffering from a combination of Bone Spurs and Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis which meant that his hip was not in the correct place.
According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons SCFE is a hip condition that occurs in teens and pre-teens who are still growing. For reasons that are not well understood, the ball at the head of the femur (thighbone) slips off the neck of the bone in a backwards direction. This causes pain, stiffness, and instability in the affected hip. The condition usually develops gradually over time and is more common in boys than girls.
Treatment for SCFE involves surgery to stop the head of the femur from slipping any further. To achieve the best outcome, it is important to be diagnosed as quickly as possible. Without early detection and proper treatment, SCFE can lead to potentially serious complications, including painful arthritis in the hip joint.
While the Mayo Clinic describes bone spurs are bony projections that develop along bone edges. Bone spurs (osteophytes) often form where bones meet each other — in your joints. They can also form on the bones of your spine.
The main cause of bone spurs is the joint damage associated with osteoarthritis. Most bone spurs cause no symptoms and can go undetected for years. Bone spurs can make it painful to move your hip, although you might feel the pain in your knee. Depending on their placement, bone spurs can reduce the range of motion in your hip joint.
“In both conditions, Lamar’s hip was in a deformed position so he hadn’t the right angle in the hip region. He was very restricted. He stopped riding a bicycle. Going up stairs was a problem for him, putting on clothes on his lower extremities also. He could not have leaned forward much which was why climbing stairs and so on was an issue,” Rohlehr relates.
Due to his condition and limited mobility, Lamar began gaining more weight which led to his condition worsening. At that time, he was in the Third Form at the Berbice Educational Institute. The episodes of pain got so overbearing that Lamar had to skip school for many days. At one time, he was absent for over six months.
However, he was determined to pursue his education and when he would have his days of relief it would involve him going to classes. Not being able to see her son in constant pain, Rohlehr quit her job at the National Insurance Scheme and began running around to have answers.
“When I was trying to get answers to his condition I was told that the only thing that could be done for him was a total hip replacement but because of his age, they advised against it. They said total hip was not a lifetime solution so doing it while he was still growing would mean that they would have to subject him to more than one total hip replacements in his lifetime. So the more they can postpone the first one would be in his best interest.”
Not satisfied with the fact that her son would have to be in constant pain until he is around 20 years old, Rohlehr began going from doctor to doctor in search of answers. Then she met with the Health and Education Relief Organization (H.E.R.O) medical team from the United States of America.
She first met with the HERO team sometime in 2017 and they returned in March 2018 to further discuss the case. They decided that they are going to perform a procedure called osteotomy-where they would cut his femur to allow for the realignment of his hip.
Rohlehr was ecstatic that her son would be given some form of relief. The team performed the surgery on the left side hip which saw him being bedridden for a number of months.
“The said that is a surgery that would help him until in his 50-60s. It depends on how he heals and then he would have to do the hip replacements.”
Owing to his surgery, Lamar could not have completed his second and third term of Fourth Form but never slipped in his education. His mother began homeschooling him in preparation for his examination. He was insistent on sitting the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination but his mother was somewhat sceptical.
However, in January of 2019, a visit to the clinic revealed that Lamar’s spine was twisting.
“They discovered that his spine was twisting because of the way he was walking. They said that it was better to perform the surgery on the other side. I felt that the leg was not strong enough but they explained that pushing back the surgery meant the spine would get even more out of control.”
The HERO team performed the surgery on the other side hip in March of 2019. After the surgery, Lamar was bedridden for a number so alternative arrangements had to be made for him to sit the CSEC exams. His grandmother, who is a retired secondary school teacher, informed the family of the exceptions that the Caribbean Examinations Council offers.
Rohlehr then began investigating and made contact with the Head Teacher of Lamar’s school who facilitated the process. CXC informed the family that they would facilitate Lamar sitting his examinations at the Hospital which he did.
So while other students were sitting in classrooms writing their examinations, Lamar was at the New Amsterdam Hospital writing his examinations.
He sat seven subjects and scored three Grade 1 pass, two Grade 2 and a Grade 4. Grade one passes in Principles of Accounts, Human and Social Biology, and English A; Grade 2 in Mathematics, Social Studies, and Integrated Science; and a Grade 4 in English Literature.
“I had to pinch myself (when I saw his results) because as much as I was confident in his ability I was not prepared for him to be as successful. I knew he had to deal with his mom as a teacher and for me teaching him was like going back to school. I was a little doubtful as to how effective my teaching would have been in terms of explaining the concepts and if he would have been confident enough.”
Never had Rohlehr thought of giving up hope and she continues to push for her son to have the best life possible. For now, Lamar still has trouble moving around and is slowly recovering but the thought of him being pain-free is enough to make Rohlehr push ahead.
