This has been a wonderful experience,” added Noland. “If you’re looking for a facility and doctors who treat you with the love, respect and care you’d expect from your own family, Nemours is that place.
Pensacola, Fla. (February 15, 2019) – Tamyah Wilson’s 16-year journey with Nemours ends as the Panhandle teen completes her limb-lengthening treatment. To mark the occasion, Tamyah’s care team at Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Pensacola surprised her with a “clap-out” ceremony where physicians, nurses, and administrators cheered her as she walked out of Nemours’ orthopedic clinic for the last time. They also presented her with a special token of their affection.
Nemours specialists have been caring and treating for the Fort Walton Beach teen since she was born with a limb length discrepancy in which there was a noticeably unequal length in one of her legs. In 2015, Dr. John P. Ferris, Jr., DO, Department of Orthopedics at Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Pensacola treated Tamyah using a magnet-powered bone-lengthening device called NuVasive PRECICE.
“When we heard about the PRECICE nail, it was an answer to our prayers,” said Dutchess Noland, Tamyah’s mother. “I didn’t think it was possible, but I actually felt excited about the prospect of this surgery.”
The sleek, magnet-powered telescoping rod is bolted entirely inside the bone. For a few minutes each day, the patient uses a portable, handheld external remote control (ERC) to rotate a magnet inside the nail. This non-invasive magnetic interaction accurately lengthens the bone. The device reduces the pain, scarring and other complications associated with the more traditional approach to leg lengthening.
Tamyah’s PRECICE nail was removed in October 2018 but she continued treatment up through the visit on Friday.
“With the PRECICE nail, the technology used is primarily internal, with just an external remote control that helps to lengthen the limb gradually over the course of time,” stated Dr. Ferris. “In the long-run, this device improves patient comfort, eliminates the possibility of infections that are very common with an external device, and allows a patient the least-invasive option. For a very active child, that’s important.”
The PRECICE limb-lengthening system uses an adjustable intramedullary device that allows surgeons to ensure a completely customized experience for patients. In Tamyah’s case, the surgery and heal time resulted in her bone lengthening seven centimeters.
“We are ecstatic that Tamyah has completed her treatment and has done so well,” said Dr. Richard Reynolds, Chair of the Department of Surgery at Nemours Children’s Specialty Clinic, Pensacola. “For the past 20 years Nemours has been caring for children in the Panhandle and during that time, we’ve strived to bring innovative care like this to our families so they don’t have to leave the region.”
On February 15, Tamyah officially “graduated” from her care journey, the first in the clinic’s history to officially finish a tibia leg-lengthening journey using the PRECICE nail. It has been a long-time coming, giving Tamyah, her mom and others at Nemours the chance to develop bonds and relationships that mom says will last a lifetime.
“This has been a wonderful experience,” added Noland. “If you’re looking for a facility and doctors who treat you with the love, respect and care you’d expect from your own family, Nemours is that place.”
Nemours Children’s Health System started as an orthopedic institute almost 80 years ago. Today, Nemours has 30 pediatric orthopedic surgeons within the system, among the largest group in the country. In the most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings, the program at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Delaware ranked number six in the nation.
About Nemours Children’s Health System
Nemours is an internationally recognized children's health system that owns and operates the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., and Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando, Fla., along with outpatient facilities in six states, delivering pediatric primary, specialty and urgent care. Nemours also powers the world’s most-visited website for information on the health of children and teens, KidsHealth.org and offers on-demand, online video patient visits through CareConnect.
Established as The Nemours Foundation through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, Nemours provides pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy, and prevention programs to families in the communities it serves.
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