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A seven-year-old girl’s life-changing surgery means she can now sit up straight and breath easier, while her mum is overcome with a feeling previously in short supply – hope.
Te Atarangi Teu-Whittaker is recovering from a complex 10-and-a-half-hour surgery to correct her severely crooked spine. It had left her bent-over, bedridden and labouring to breath.
The success of the February 8 surgery at Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland is evident each time Stevie Whittaker, 25, looks at her “little warrior” in the living room of their Marton home.
There are now just smiles for the young mum who spent much of 2022 stressed by Te Atarangi’s worsening condition and frustrated by how long it was taking to get the surgery scheduled.
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Warwick Smith/Stuff
Stevie Whittaker happy and relieved with her daughter, Te Atarangi, who is recovering after a complex surgery to correct her crooked spine.
”We’re just stoked. It gives me a lot of hope,” Stevie said.
The hope is for the two operations still to come.
Te Atarangi was diagnosed with Cerebellum Ataxia – poor muscle control causing clumsy voluntary movements – when she was 18 months old. It led to scoliosis (curving of the spine) and kyphosis (rounding of the upper back).
She also has pectus carinatum, or pigeon chest, where there is overgrowth of the cartilage between the ribs and sternum, causing the middle of the chest to stick out.
X-rays taken of her back also revealed Te Atarangi had hip dysplasia; the top of her thigh bones didn’t sit properly inside the sockets of her pelvis.
It is rare for children to suffer from scoliosis and there are many unknowns with her recovery. Adults take about six weeks to recover.
DAVID UNWIN/Stuff
Te Atarangi lost her ability to crawl or use her walker when scoliosis caused a significant curve in her spine, crushing her lungs and stomach.
Te Atarangi will undergo physiotherapy to build up her back and neck strength, and get used to new equipment. Both her old wheelchair and stroller had been tailored to her old torso.
Stevie said family were having to unlearn how they held and carried her, such was the drastic improvement.
“She’s not 100% straight, but they said that before surgery. But their main goal was to get her as straight as possible and for her head to be over her hips.”
The results were definitely worth it, but the long wait during the spinal surgery was “torture” for Stevie and her mother Belinda Tui Whittaker.
“Lots of tears,” Stevie said. “I had to paint my mum’s toenails just to keep my bloody mind off it all.
“We had to get out of the hospital in the end. We were going to lose our minds.”
It was four days before she was allowed to give her girl a cuddle. But when she did, she was able to put her arms around her daughter like any mother should.
Supplied
Stevie Whittaker and daughter Te Atarangi enjoying a first hug post-surgery.
The hip surgery, which should be scheduled promptly once Te Atarangi had recovered, would be more conventional.
Stevie was confident it would bring more success, and more freedom for her daughter. The focus would then be on improving her balance.
“The end goal is to have her walking.”
Te Atarangi greeted Stuff with a chirpy welcome but gradually grew tired. The promise of her iPad coaxed a little more patience.
Though children’s devotion to screens can be the bane of many parents, for Te Atarangi it brought independence. It was the one thing she could use without needing anyone’s help.
Warwick Smith/Stuff
Te Atarangi enjoying screen-time with her iPad. It has been one of the few things she can do independently, her mum says.
Te Atarangi visited classmates at Lytton Street School in Feilding on Monday and was looking forward to returning more regularly.
“She still has her days, but she’s pretty much still the same little girl we’ve always known and loved.
“We’re just adapting to life how we can. We roll with the changes.”
Stevie praised the support they received from both Palmerston North Hospital’s homecare team and Te Atarangi’s school.
“Lytton Street School has been absolutely amazing, supporting her not being at school as well. They’ve offered for teachers to come out and spend time with her at home, and they accommodate us for any visits.”
DAVID UNWIN
Stevie Whittaker, mother of Te Atarangi Teu-Whittaker, 7,frustrated at the lack of communication and time-frame for the surgery her daughter desperately needs. (Published November 2022)
Principal Ben Ward-Smith said Te Atarangi was an “absolute ray of sunshine” who had amassed a beautiful group of friends.
“All our staff and students take joy in adapting games, learning programmes and school experiences to ensure Te Atarangi thrives in an environment of inclusion.”
The school has held a number of fundraising events to support the family, and a givealittle campaign also eased helped ease travel costs to Auckland and other needs.
Stevie said they were about to get a mobility van and her father would be building a wheelchair ramp at home, and adapting the shower to make it more accessible for Te Atarangi.
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