Jordan Donovan, 13, an eighth grader at Gallatin Middle School, has been plagued with a mysterious condition his whole life. He’s a healthy, active, energetic kid, but he had an awkward way of walking and was never really able to run, or to keep up with the other kids when foot racing.
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“I’ve had pain ever since I can remember,” he says.
The pain was in his feet and knee.
He’s seen many, many doctors since he was five years old. He’s had numerous x-rays, from his hips to his toes.
His bones weren’t completely on the straight and narrow, but doctors were not overly concerned. Pigeon toes, bowlegs, knock-knees and duckfeet are all common in children and self-correct with age.
Doctors recommended he run and ride horses to strengthen his hip and pelvic muscles and wear insoles in his shoes for his flat feet.
Jordan took different physical therapies and signed up for Tae Kwon Do. He went out for football and began lifting weights. The upper body strength he gained from the exercise would prove useful later in the year.
“Doctors said he had growing pains and would outgrow the awkwardness, and his bones would straighten themselves out; but that didn’t happen,” said his mother Jenny.
By October of last year, Jordan could hardly bear weight on his right leg and knee.
“Every time I took a step, it was like a double-bladed knife between my bones and in my knees,” Jordan said.
The pain would get worse as the day progressed. He was sitting out of physical education classes and had other issues at school.
That went on through January of this year. In February, it all came crumbling down. Jordan couldn’t even stand up.
His parents, Jenny and Jeff, decided to get more aggressive. They switched doctors.
“The other doctors just weren’t getting it,” Jordan said.
“We needed to figure out what was going on or he’d be in a wheelchair when he got older,” Jenny said.
Jordan was referred to Dr. Kathryn Keeler at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City. She is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. She took x-rays and CAT scans of Jordan’s legs and hips and saw what she thought looked like rotated femurs.
Jordan met with Dr. Keeler during February and March. She came to the conclusion that both of his femurs, or thigh bones, were rotated inward. The right was worse than the left. The right tibia, or shin bone, was rotated outward, or everted, causing his right foot to go out. His right femur and right tibia were rotated in opposite directions.
“That’s why I was hurting so bad; I had one bone turned in and one bone turned out,” said Jordan.
“And a very angry knee,” his mother added.
The diagnosis was a relief for the whole family.
“We’d known for years, all of us, that something was not right, but we couldn’t get anybody to tell us what was wrong,” said Jenny.
That other doctors weren’t able to see the problem makes Jordan “kind of mad.”
The doctor told them about the surgery to correct the problem and gave Jordan an option. He could have one leg done at a time or both at once. It was Jordan’s decision to make. He decided to have both done at the same time.
“I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible, so I could be a kid again,” he said.
On March 28 he had the surgery for his “magic legs” at Children’s Mercy.
Jordan had a right tibial derotation. During this procedure, surgeons cut the tibia, or shinbone, rotated it 25 degrees, and put in a plate and screws.
He had both right and left femoral derotation osteotomies. The surgical team cut the femurs or thigh bones, and rotated them to the proper position and put in rods that extend from the upper knee to the hip, held by screws. His femurs were rotated 15 degrees for the left and 25 degrees for the right.
After the surgery, Dr. Keeler told the family that she saw a dramatic difference and his bones lined up great.
The morning after the surgery, the medicine started wearing off and the nurses began moving Jordan around.
“I was amazed at how tough this little guy is,” wrote his father Jeff in a Facebook post. “He was in so much pain that the tears were flowing, but he kept telling them his pain was only at a ‘four.’ Dad’s proud factor is off of the charts.”
It’s been a long recovery. Jordan spent four days in the hospital and “busted out” and arrived home to “G-Town” on March 31.
Unable to bear weight, he had to use a transfer board and have help getting in and out of the car, in and out of bed, and with everyday activities. This is where the earlier weight lifting and strength building proved beneficial. Still, it was rough.
The experience opened the family’s eyes to just how difficult it is for parents with handicapped children.
“Just getting around and doing daily activities takes much longer and is very stressful,” said Jenny. “We are thankful Jordan is only handicapped temporarily. God bless those parents who do it day in and day out.”
Little brother Jack, 9, never left Jordan’s side once he got home.
“Jack made a bed on the floor in Jordan’s room so he could sleep by his bubby,” said Jenny. “This melts my heart.”
On April 8 Jordan made a brief appearance at the Gallatin Middle School Dance and all his classmates were very happy to see him. He had several friends come to visit him at home. They play Xbox, shoot hoops, and have Nerf gun and water gun fights. His friends always lift his spirits.
On April 12, Jordan experienced the worst pain he’d been in since coming home. The pain was in his right heel and ankle. The doctor removed the plaster cast and replaced it with a boot. Jordan felt immediate relief.
At that point he started going to the YMCA at Chillicothe a few times a week to get his legs moving and to bear weight in the water. It is the first step.
“I’m still trying to relearn how to walk,” he says. “It’s a very slow process.”
It was the fourth quarter at Gallatin Middle School and Jordan studied at home.
“With today’s technology, only a couple of things have had to be done on paper,” said Jenny. “The rest he did on the Chromebook.”
She adds that the middle school teachers have been great to work with, and Mrs. Otto, Middle School Principal, has been very understanding.
“All of his teachers have let him go at his own pace as long as he got it done,” said Jenny.
On April 26, still in a wheelchair, Jordan began going back to school for two to three hours a day.
“It was good to be back,” he said. “But it was tiring.”
On April 30, Jordan had water workout #8 and that night took his first “walk” around the living room.
On May 2, he had a follow up and the doctor was very pleased with his progress. She could tell he’d been doing his water exercises. He was steadily gaining strength.
In June, Dr. Keeler said both femurs were completely healed. He has been released to do what he thinks he can do. He’s in band, but not able to parade march yet. He goes to the home football games. Jordan is a musician, a trumpet-player and a singer. He sang at the Jameson Picnic and the Lake Viking Talent Show. He sang at Chautauqua this year.
He continues to go to Liberty once a week for physical therapy. There’s no end date yet.
His physical therapist at Select Physical Therapy is Holly Vaughn.
“Jordan has been nothing short of the nickname I call him — Rock Star!” said Holly. “He has been through so much and yet stays upbeat, talking a mile a minute, trying to distract me from making him work. Ha! He really works hard, between stories, and continues to push hard to get to his goals. I know we both eagerly await the day when he is strong enough to run with ease.”
Jordan goes to school full-time this school year. He has daily exercises he does at home and in PE class. During his recovery, his parents used Facebook as the easiest way to keep family and friends updated.
On Facebook, Jordan’s friends and family call him “awesome,” “amazing,” “tough,” and “champ.”
“He’s been a trooper through this whole process and we couldn’t be more proud of him,” said Jenny.
On his birthday, Jordan turned 13, a teenager now. A friend took him to iFly in Overland Park, Kan., where, with his doctor’s permission, he did a little indoor sky diving.
“His goal was to be able to walk by his birthday,” said Jeff. “It makes a dad extremely proud to watch his child grow up and accomplish his goals.”
Jordan has had some pain during his recovery this summer and fall, but looks forward to being pain-free soon.
“I feel good that the surgery is done and over with,” he said. “I feel like I’m pretty much a normal kid now.”
Picture: Jordan is pictured with a Royals baseball painting, which was taken while he was in the hospital. He was feeling pretty good one afternoon so he went to an activity with other patients and they were painting those. His favorite nurses Ron and Candace both signed the back of it and he has it in his bedroom. It turned out pretty good!