The 9 months leading up to Maddy’s birth progressed as expected. During labor, however, the unexpected occurred and both Maddy and her mother Brittney suffered from a traumatic birthing process.

At first Maddy screamed anytime someone would touch her arm. Later she would allow her nurses and parents to move it, though she was still unable to move it on her own. Nerve damage resulted in the brachial plexus pulvi causing Maddy’s shoulder dystocia.

Brittney was frightened; afraid Maddy wouldn’t be able to carry on like other kids. But in lieu of all the trauma, other than this nerve damage, Maddy was a healthy baby and that’s what mattered to her proud mother.

At 3 weeks old, Maddy’s primary care physician recommended Brittney take Maddy to see a neurosurgeon, but he also referred her to 321Go Kids. That’s where Brittney was introduced to Brett, owner and pediatric physical therapist and Diann, pediatric physical therapist assistant. Her daughter’s greatest advocate, Brittney took Maddy to therapy consistently twice a week with her family. The staff at 321Go Kids worked with the family’s schedule and even realized that Maddy’s big sister needed some attention.

The motto at 321Go Kids is to discover hope and unleash potential. Diann and Brett empowered Maddy physically and she progressed steadily. Equally important, the 321Go Kids’ Rehab staff empowered Brittney, providing valuable encouragement. Though progress was evident, every lull in that progression gave Brittney pause. Brett and Diann would take time to talk Brittney through those moments and empower her to hold strong. “We couldn’t be where we are today without 321Go Kids,” Brittney expressed.

After 4 months of great strides, the specialists were no longer concerned with Maddy’s hand. The surgery would now be only on the musculocutaneous nerve and possibly on the shoulder. At this point they said the surgery would not be until June. However, when the surgery date came around, Maddy was a fully mobile crawler and no longer needed surgery. At 9 months old, she is a happy baby, the joy of her parents, and the biggest fan of her sister. With her mom as her advocate and 321Go Kids as a partner in therapy, she’s off to a great start in life.