Quote From: marianparooAs a woman who was born with a serious orthodpedic birth defect, I went through more operations than even my mother remembers (I started with the whole business at 9 months old when I fell shortly after I started walking - the bone didn't heal and the condition was diagnosed).
My condition is different than Jaya's, and now the treatment is more efficient (although essentially the same, I was just one of the first children to have the op that got me walking in the right direction).
But my gut feeling is that Jaya might well have have a happier childhood if his legs are amputated than if he has to go through years of surgeries. And, from what I noticed from my own childhood is that scars and limps make a bigger target for the cruelty of children than prostheses.
Many, many hugs and hope to this child and the family.
By the way, the first major op I had that got me walking was at Sick Kids in Toronto. I lived in the USA at that time, and they still weren't doing that kind of op anywhere in the United States.
My love to Sick Kids and Toronto, Canada forever!!!!!!!
Dear Dr.Phil,
After watching your show ask the doctors. I was brought to tears concerning Jay and his parents inability to make a decison on whether or not to amputate his legs.
I am 50 years old,born with a condition called spina bifad.I too am parapalegic.I have had numerous surgerical procedures throughout my life,and many scars
.At age 8 my mother on the advice of a doctor decided to have my legs amputated.At this age i did not understand the impact that might have played throught the rest of my life.
The reasoning for the amputation was my legs were scared,bent and basically useless.My father intervened on this decision.and refused to consent to the surgery.Thank God he did.
I today still have my legs.the ones i was born with.They are still in the condition they were when my mother decided to have them removed.They are a part of me.and have been useful to me.
People do not understand what they are doing when they make or attempt to make decisions in the best interest of someone who is so called less fortunate
I understand the love of a mother and wanting only to do the best and right things for their children.I too am a mother of 2 children.and grandmother of 2 .
When a person has something that doesn't work they learn to compensate .That i believe is a gift from God and a natural survival instinct we all as human beings have.
Sometimes people want to dismiss or remove something they can't imagine themselves being with.We can not truly,happily,completely replace the things we were given at birth.If jay's legs are not a direct threat to his health why remove them?
why give him a lifetime of possible medically related problems with ulcers and infections?
I know myself as a mother.I would rather have to tell my son later on in his life.we opted to keep your legs because they are your legs.A part of the son we love,cherish,and are very proud of.Rather then to try to explain to him that we had your legs removed because we were worried about the social impact,the stares,and comments from rude uncaring people.
My advice to jay's parents.let your son be a normal active child.Don't look to him as if he were any different then any of your other children.let him try anything and everything that any other normal child would do.let him find his own limits in life.
Don't burden yourself by looking at him with pity,or restirctions.I promise you if you accept his condition as normal for him,he will also accept his condition as normal.and thrive through his life as a normal productive active adult.
Jay's mother mentioned she was concenred that he could not feel anything ,and by this he had a tendency to hurt his legs and feet by dragging them on the ground and causing the skin to wear through.She needs to protect his legs and feet with clothing and shoes.and teach him to do the same as he gets older.That will help eliminate damage.
I do not believe that God gives us anything we can't handle.he doesn't punish us with birth defects.I do believe however that God makes everyone different and some of us he gives physical limitations, maybe as a learning tool for others.
I am very passionate about this subject.and the idea that people don't really stop and think beyond the social aspect of things I will pray that you stop worrying about removing his legs and focus on enjoying a child that is going to astonish you with acomplishments through his life.
Attitude makes a person a cripple.not physical limitations.There is not one person on this planet that can do everything.So who is to say we aren't all disabled to some extent?
Because people can't imagine themselves in a situation doesn't mean that situation is a bad thing.
I realize you want to do the best for your child.Truly the best you can do for him is love him be proud of him and accept him just the way he is.
I did not walk until i was 4 years old.and through my life i have used my arms as the means to support my body.walking with crutches.
Thank God for my dad.I was given the chance i needed.
(Original Air Date: 04/08/08) Imagine having your doctor on speed dial to answer your questions 24/7. Here's your chance, because The Doctors (link to: /shows/page/TheDoctors) are back! Dr. Phil welcomes OB/GYN Dr. Lisa Masterson, family therapist Dr. Tara Fields, pediatrician Dr. Jim Sears, plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Ordon, and E.R. physician Dr. Travis Stork. Join their conversation and hear their valuable insights on the hottest medical topics of the day, including actor Heath Ledger's untimely death and the rise in breast augmentation surgery. Next, meet Jennifer, a wife and mother who's so afraid of her family getting sick and dying from germs, that she won't handle cash or mail, she wears three different pairs of shoes each day -- a pair for in the house, one for out of the house, and one for in the car -- and won't even greet family members from out of town until they've come in and showered! Is Jennifer's house as germ free as she thinks it is? Dr. Phil sends a microbiologist to find out. Then, meet a woman who got married and was ready to start a family only to find out that the man she fell in love with was making her physically ill. And, meet a couple who are at odds over a serious medical dilemma involving their 3-year-old son. Should they amputate his legs? Plus, is there a medical question you're dying to know the answer to but are too embarrassed to ask? Be there when The Doctors answer viewer questions on topics ranging from breastfeeding to penis enlargement, and then talk about the show here.
