Our granddaughter is having surgery today!

In fact, by the time I get this post published, she should be IN surgery.  This is a MAJOR procedure called SDR surgery, or Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy. 

In a nutshell, the neurosurgeon will make an incision on her lower back, lift off the top part of the spine there (between 2 and 4 inches), and expose the spinal cord and nerves coming off the cord. 

He’ll test the nerves to see which ones are causing the spasticity in Ellie’s legs, and cut those so they stop sending the wrong signals.  With the spasticity relieved, Ellie should be able to walk without a scissor gait.

She’ll be in surgery 4 to 5 hours, then to the recovery room and on to ICU.

It takes a long time to recover from this surgery.  She has to have lots of therapy and re-train the muscles so they are functioning correctly.

If you want to read more about Ellie, the main site is “Helping Ellie Walk.”  It has links to her Facebook page, and her mom’s blog about the SDR surgery.

And if you’d be so kind as to keep her and her folks in your thoughts and prayers, it would sure be appreciated!