Saturday, April 13, 2013

Hope the 'Hip' Hippo


I have stumbled upon the most adorable book!  Meet Hope, a young hippopotamus who has hip dysplasia.  In this very relatable read, she visits the doctor to learn that she has special hips, which need to be fixed.  She has xrays, goes to a children's hospital, and awakes "stuck" in her spica cast.  She receives balloons, has a special wagon to ride in, and her daddy builds a special desk for her to play in.  At the end, she is able to jump and dance again.

Our copy arrived yesterday.  Hip Chick has enjoyed flipping through the pages and talking about all the things she and Hope share in common.  Even Daddy remarked on how darling the book is.

In my search for aids to help our little hippie, I was surprised that this seems to be the singular children's book to address hip dysplasia- and its copyright is only six months old.  It was penned and self-published by two resourceful "hip" mothers who sought an answer to the lack of resources for their own daughters.  What is even more notable is that these women are from two different countries.

This leads me to remark on the overall lack of awareness about and/or experience with hip dysplasia in the general community.  Prior to our daughter's diagnosis, I had heard of only one child with a potential hip dysplasia diagnosis during my lifetime.  Neither my husband nor I had ever seen a child in a spica cast.  Many of our well meaning friends and relatives reacted to our news with the remark, "I thought only dogs have hip dysplasia."  Our daycare had not previously cared for a child with hip dysplasia.  My daughter is the first baby with hip dysplasia that my obstetrician has delivered.  As discussed in prior posts, Scottish Rite advised us that some treatment options, such as Bryant's Traction, are still experimental and medical research is still developing on the subject as a whole.

The biggest aids to help us navigate traction or spica cast care have been from either assigned peer support or resources I stumbled upon while surfing the internet- aids which were mostly resourceful moms' solutions for their own children.  This seems to be a narrow pool of support for an orthopaedic disorder which supposedly affects 1 in 1,000 children, by varying degrees.  

The International Hip Dysplasia Institute has begun to gain traction in recent years.  Some passionate parents are starting to organize walks in their communities.  Once this spica cast is behind us, I aim to contribute in some manner, whether through volunteering or by other means.

3 comments:

  1. thank you so very much for all of your kind words re: Hope the Hip Hippo !!!!! ;) My name is Gina, and I am one of the authors....you have touched my heart deeply to know that you and your little one have enjoyed HOPE, and perhaps she has helped, if only a little !!! I love so much that you are feeling compelled to volunteer once your spica time is behind you....we will naturally take all the help we can get !!! ;) If you are on facebook, and have not visited already, I would love for you to come see HOPE (www.facebook.com/hopethehiphippo) and One Hip World (www.facebook.com/onehipworld)...you can find me through either page !!!!!
    Again, thank you so much for supporting and loving HOPE, and for this glowing review, which has touched my heart !!! You and your little one remain in my heart and my prayers !!! ;) <3

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    1. Wow- thank you, Gina! I would never have expected the author of this book (you!) to find my blog. It is very meaningful that you reached out to us, and we are thankful for your prayers! We love your book so much that we are donating one to Scottish Rite. Your book is a much needed gift for children who have few sunny resources taylored to them. Hope and Hip Chick make great friends!

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  2. you have humbled me, greatly !!!!! ;) thank you !!!!!!
    I think Hope and Hip Chick make AMAZING friends, and if it is alright with you, I would love very much to thank you for this post on HOPE's facebook page....would that be alright ???? If so, please email me at onehipworld@yahoo.com so I will know that you are you !!! hahaha...and that it is in fact, alright !!!
    I looooooooooove that you are donating a copy to your hospital to help others....thank you for helping HOPE fulfill her mission !!!!
    You stay in my heart and prayers !!! <3

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