DANVILLE, Pa. — Amelia Benjamin, age 16, of Danville, loves to dance. It's hard to keep her off her feet, which is what a broken leg at the age of 13 almost did. Amelia was ice skating when it happened.
"We got half a lap around, and I just fell over, bent my leg backwards, and it pushed the bone forwards," she recalled.
"She was so concerned about, 'How am I going to dance?' and 'How is this going to affect my life?' before we had even gotten her to this hospital," said Amelia's mom Michelle Benjamin.
Michelle thought the doctor would put her daughter's leg in a cast and send her home.
"We could have gone down the road of treating this with a cast. It's just the chances this did not heal the right way or did not heal at all were higher in her scenario than others," said Dr. Mark Seeley, Geisinger pediatric orthopaedic surgeon.
Dr. Seeley says that because of Amelia's Type 1 diabetes, he was concerned her leg would not heal properly with a cast. He believed the fractures would heal better and faster with stabilizing rods. So that's what he used.
"They literally look like two coat hangers that are inserted into the bone through very small incisions."
Amelia was in a wheelchair for about three weeks and on crutches for about a month after that. She worked hard to heal and has made a full recovery.
"Dr. Seeley really helped with that. He helped me get through all of it, physical therapy, what I'm supposed to do," Amelia said.
"The day that she could first step again, it was like that's how far back she went and now to see her now where she is back to dance, back to playing tennis, and lifting in the gym," Michelle said. It's amazing."
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