My Bionic Arm ... Well, sort of ...

Most of you know the journey I've been on with my arm  for the last (almost) 12 years. For those of you who don't ...

In 1999, I was diagnosed with a form of bone cancer called osteosarcoma. Shortly after the diagnosis, on May 28, my doctor's performed a somewhat experimental surgery on my left humerus (they had only done 5 before mine) where they took my bone out and replaced it with a cadaver bone. From the ball of my shoulder to about my mid humerus is not my bone; it's a dead guy from New Jersey's bone. (As you can imagine, I'm a big proponent of organ donation, but we'll get to that later.)

One week after my surgery, I walked out of the hospital in a huge brace (named Kenny after my doctor) ... it wrapped around my torso and held my arm straight up in the air like the statue of liberty. That was fun. I wore it for about 10 weeks if I remember correctly. It seemed like longer. I can't complain though. Other doctor's told me the only option was to amputate my arm. I knew that wasn't what God had in store for me, so we prayed for a miracle ... and I got one!

Then came nine months of chemo, but that's a story I'll get to later too.

For several years, my arm was great. I had limited range of motion, but nothing I couldn't deal with. I still lived a pretty normal life. Then in 2004, I broke it. Yes, I broke the miracle cadaver bone. The worst part is that I did it playing golf ... we think. I started having a pain that continued to get worse over the span of about four days. Finally, I went to the ER, and they confirmed what I was afraid of.

So, I had another surgery. This time the doctor put a steel rod down the center of my broken cadaver bone and sealed it with bone cement. He had to take out four of my eight screws to do this, but he left the metal plate that acts as a shield to my bone. It's amazing that I don't set off metal detectors at the airports. I have a pin in my shoulder, a steel rod, a metal plate, 4 screws and a weird rubber band holding it all together.

Since that surgery, my cadaver bone has continued to deteriorate. The cement didn't work, and I have more breaks. For the last six years, my family and I have been praying for another miracle. Specifically, we prayed for the medical engineers to create a new type of metal that will allow my soft tissue to attach to it. This will allow the doctors to go in and remove my cadaver bone completely and replace it with all metal. Without the new metal though, my rotator cuff can't attach to anything and will cause my shoulder to pop in and out of socket.

Fortunately, God didn't stop performing miracles back when He healed the blind man and the lepers a long time ago (these are some of my favorite stories in the Bible). In 10 days, I'll be going under the knife to have another experimental surgery. My doctor and the medical engineers believe they have gotten the metal created that we've been praying for. Praise the Lord! I'll be the first person to have this particular surgery ... EVER! It's a little scary, but I've always said that if my experiences can touch one person's life, it's totally worth the ride. And, who knows, maybe this surgery will pave the way for future advancements for amputees. That would be pretty awesome!

Here's what my arm looks like right now:

There are also 4 screws in my orginal bone. You can only see 1 and part of another one in this xray before the picture ends. Those will be coming out. Yay! But, they're going to have to heal like a broken bone would. The only part I'm keeping is the saucer looking thing in my shoulder.

Here's a diagram of what my arm will look like after my surgery:

The really skinny part at the bottom will be inserted into my original bone. The part right above that where it gets bigger will eventually heal to my bone, so it will seem like one solid structure.

This is a picture of the new metal that we've been praying for:

This will be at the top of my arm, right before my shoulder starts. The part that looks like thread is the suture that will hold my rotator cuff on.

My surgery is at Vanderbilt Hospital on March 3. The plan is to spend 48 hours there which means I'll get to come home on Saturday. I'll be in a sling for about six weeks, and I should only miss about 9 or 10 days of work. Not too shabby for such a crazy surgery!

My only request is this: Please say a prayer for my sweet husband, Jared. He is one strong Christian man, and I know that he will take excellent care of me. And, I'm trusting that the Lord will take care of him, ease his mind, comfort his heart and take away all concerns. This will be our first big "thing" to go through as husband and wife, and I know it will bring us closer to each other and strengthen our faith. And, of course, please remember my family in your prayers too. My sister and my brothers have been through this with me for the last 12 years, and they know all too well what is to be expected. I know it's hard for them to see me go through this. My sister has been my rock, she still is and she always will be. I've seen her nearly take a nurse out for not giving me my pain meds on time. LOL! But, in all seriousness, they need prayers of comfort as well. I truly have the most amazing support system a girl could ask for!

I'll keep you all posted on my progress. Thanks so much for all the prayers!

Love,
Rian