Houston boy learning to thrive with SMA after major surgery
A local boy is back to doing the things he loves after undergoing a state-of-the-art procedure to correct his spine from an extreme case of scoliosis. The child has been through a lot of dealing with a rare condition. But shares his positive spirit and winning attitude.
Aside from camping, Xander also enjoys building robots and coding.
Alexander Lowery, who goes by Xander, is a typical 12-year-old in many ways. He loves camping and building robots, and he's also a coder. He can tell you about everything you'd ever want to know about Godzilla or Big Foot. "I like to hang out with my sister and play video games with her," adds Xander. Plus, he says his little sister is his best friend.
Xander was born with a rare condition called spinal muscular atrophy type 2, or SMA. It's a neuromuscular syndrome affecting his nerve cells, causing muscle weakness, mobility loss, scoliosis, or a curved spine. He suffered complications after his first surgery.
"I got two staph infections, so we had to take the stuff (medical hardware) in my back out," says Xander.
"We saw how much pain he was in, and to be honest, the energy he has now, he was not like that!" exclaims Xander's dad, Mike. "He was a whole different person, and it was heartbreaking. He means the world to me, and I get emotional. I'm tearing up because I've seen his first surgery, and it was really unsuccessful, and the first surgery turned into four surgeries,"
Xander's loving parents discovered a new medical crew at a different facility. They were thrilled to find Dr. Timothy Borden, an orthopedic surgeon with UTHealth Houston and Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital. He put together a plan to correct Xander's spine.
Xander's parents discovered a new medical crew at a new hospital. Their search led them to Dr. Timothy Borden, an orthopedic surgeon at UTHealth Houston. He devised a plan to correct Xander's spine.
"By the time he got to me, his curve was over 100 degrees. At that point, it was starting to affect his ability to sit in his chair, to be comfortable, to move around, and even just simple tasks is eating, or moving around in his daily life was starting to become painful and uncomfortable," explains Dr. Borden.
Xander immediately connected with his new doctor and said he liked him but admitted he was scared after his last experience.
"I was very shaken and very nervous going into this one, but I really like talking to my doctor. He's fun to talk to," states Xander.
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"So, with our surgery, we were able to place screws into the spine, and then we placed the rods going on either side of the back of the spine to straighten out his deformity, and so you can see now he is in a much better upright position. He's got a normal contour to his spine. He's in good balance. So, instead of his head leaning far forward in his body, he's centered right over his pelvis," states Dr. Borden.
The surgery was a major success in many ways.
"This recovery was way better! By the end of the first week, I was already sitting up in my chair. After the surgery, I feel like it's easier for me to sit up straight, and it's easier for me to breathe because my lungs were getting smushed a little bit," describes Xander.
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"He's so much more interactive! He's just back to his old self and the quality of life he mentioned earlier. It's amazing. Now when he gets sick, he gets over it really quickly, versus before he would get sick and maybe even be in the hospital because of pneumonia. He doesn't get that strong cough because his lungs work," says Xander's proud dad.
Dr. Borden says medication helps control Xander's other symptoms of SMA. That helps him enjoy 'just being a kid.
Xander also believes the right attitude is a healing attitude. "I try to think positive about it because my mom always tells me I may not be too strong on my body, but she says I have a strong brain. I'm very smart. My mom tells me I'm very smart," says Xander.
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That's obvious to anyone who meets him, and his doctor is pleased with how well he's doing.
"I'm so proud of how Xander has done! He has done such a wonderful job and has such a wonderful family. They are able to get him back to enjoy the activities he likes to do," says Dr. Borden.