Riverside Healthcare | The Journey | Summer 2021

Summer 2021 5 in his hand; one of the long bones in his forearm had snapped, and the other one was also injured. “Basically, the accident crushed his arm,” says Taruna Madhav Crawford, MD, CIME, of Riverside Medical Group, the hand and orthopedic surgeon who treated Devon. Worse, Devon’s injury had caused compartment syndrome, a condition that causes severe swelling. Without immediate surgery, there was a chance the muscles and nerves in Devon’s arm and hand would lose their blood supply and begin to die, Dr. Crawford explains. Had that happened, Devon could have permanently lost the use of his arm, which doctors might have needed to amputate. Multiple hand and arm surgeries Devon’s initial surgery was to alleviate the dangerous levels of pressure in his hand and arm with incisions that opened up the swollen area, giving the muscles room. Dr. Crawford also repaired Devon’s broken bones with pins, plates and screws. Over the next several months, Dr. Crawford completed the repair in stages. She per formed four additional surgeries to prevent infection; close the wound, which couldn’t be closed immediately due to the swelling; remove the stabilizing hardware; and release scar tissue so that Devon would have better motion in his hand. During this time, Devon also went to occupational hand therapy two to three times weekly and did prescribed exercises at home to help with his recovery. “The most remarkable thing about all of this is what a trouper Devon is,” Dr. Crawford says. “He has a great family and great support. They did everything to a tee. He’s the coolest kid around. He’s got grit.” Devon benefited from having local access to highly specialized hand surgery. At hospitals that don’t offer this orthopedic subspecialty, patients may need to be transferred out of the community to a medical center that is capable of providing that level of care. Back to being a kid Devon’s last appointment with Dr. Crawford was on April 1. Since then, he has fully recovered the use of his hand and arm. “He’s back to being a kid and riding bikes and catching fish and doing everything he loves,” his mom says. He even rejoined his Little League baseball team. In June, they won a division championship, with Devon pitching and playing third base. On that sunny Sunday last October, the family didn’t know if Devon would regain full function in his arm following his traumatic injury. The outcome, Amanda says, is “pretty awesome to see.” Even though he’s just 13, Devon showed remarkable strength and faith that God would see him through this, Amanda says. “It’s part of his story now,” she says. She and Devon’s father, Mike, are “beyond grateful” for what Dr. Crawford and the entire team at Riverside Healthcare did for Devon. Everyone—the doctors, physician associate, nurses and hand therapists—were incredibly kind and compassionate, Amanda says. “Devon is back to doing everything he loves to do right now, thanks to all of their hard work and amazing care,” she says. Get on the mend To schedule an appointment with Dr. Crawford, please call 877-750-0477 . “The most remarkable thing about all of this is what a trouper Devon is. He has a great family and great support. They did everything to a tee. He’s the coolest kid around. He’s got grit.” —Taruna Madhav Crawford, MD, CIME