Pediatric Therapy helps Ezra explore his community on a new prosthesis, spreading smiles and awareness

At her 20-week ultrasound, Jessie received unexpected news: her son, Ezra, had proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD). PFFD is a rare birth defect where the upper part of the femur is missing or not fully formed. While Ezra’s knee, calf, ankle, and foot are not affected, he was born without a femur.

“We immediately panicked because we didn’t have any idea,” says Jessie, his mom. PFFD is not genetic – the chances of developing it are just one in 200,000.

Thankfully, SOAR365’s experienced pediatric therapists are here to help families navigate the uncertainty of a new diagnosis. From birth to age 3, children with a developmental delay or disability may qualify for early intervention services. This program provides in-home therapy to help children grow and thrive.

In Ezra’s case, as soon as his family received the diagnosis “we started googling what to do, and we found an orthopedic surgeon,” explains Jessie. The surgeon determined that lengthening and super hip surgeries were not viable options for Ezra. Instead, when Ezra turned one last February, he received a prescription for a foot-on-foot prosthetic.

In March, Ezra’s family reached out to the county for in-home services through the early intervention program. That’s when they were paired with their SOAR365 physical therapist, Emily. Emily completed Ezra’s initial evaluation and luckily, was able to continue working with him.

“Emily is amazing,” says Jessie. “We’re her last appointment on Fridays, and after a long week of appointments she’s still so personable with Ezra. She has a great attitude with him and will stay and talk to us.”

They have been working with Emily for almost a year and have seen great progress.

“When we first got his prosthetic, he hated it. When he saw it, he would cry. He didn’t want you to put it on,” says Jessie. “It took about a month to adjust. He started getting more confident and would walk around. Now, he’s trying to run!”

Early Intervention has made a huge difference for Ezra and his family – not only physically but emotionally and socially as well. Jessie says, “We prayed for years for a child. It took us a really long time to have him. We wondered, ‘Why is this happening to us?’ But now, we wouldn’t change anything.”

If you ask Emily, she says much of the credit is due “not only to Ezra’s motivation and wanting to move, but also his parents.” Their encouragement at home has been key, “especially early on when it was hard. I think that helped him realize, ‘I can do this!’” says Emily.

Ezra’s positive attitude has also helped Jessie throughout their journey. “In the beginning, when we would go out and people would stop and point, it would upset me. We didn’t want him to feel different,” said Jessie. But Ezra didn’t seem to mind the attention – he loves making new friends. “If we see people doing that now, we just smile and keep walking,” says Jessie.

Her advice for others: “Just be polite and friendly. Yes, his leg is shorter, but he’s just like everyone else – so treat him like everyone else.”

SOAR365 is committed to providing care where it’s most needed in our community. For Central Virginia, that means a focus on early intervention. Every year, more and more children like Ezra need our services – and the sooner they receive them, the higher chance of success. If you’d like to support Pediatric Therapy and all of the life-fulfilling programs SOAR365 offers, please visit soar365.org/donate.