Madeline Mitchell

In September 2017 (at the age of 10) my daughter had unexplained significant pain in her left ankle. Although she was treated by professionals, the pain continued to worsen. In March of 2018, the pain now presented in both of her ankles. She was unable to walk for extended periods, stand or play with friends. Madeline had to discontinue with sports because of the pain. She was an avid sports player - field hockey, softball, volleyball, tennis, golf - you name it, she played it.

Over the course of the year we met with various doctors from all disciplines across the tri-state area to get Madeline the help and treatment she needed. Her case was not a straightforward typical case. The doctors were having difficulty diagnosing and treating Madeline. We are so truly grateful we found Dr. Scher! He took the time to learn about Madeline and all of the pain and difficulties her ankles were causing her. He discussed all available options and helped us to plan a course of action.

It was very difficult to watch Madeline struggling with every day activities from playing with friends to walking up the stairs. On many occasions Madeline needed to use a wheelchair to help manage the pain. Dr. Scher was instrumental in changing this. He went above and beyond in helping to treat her with the help of Dr. Taber. In October 2019 Madeline had ankle realignment surgery on her left ankle - it was an amazing success. After COVID-19 delayed her second surgery, Madeline had her second ankle realignment surgery on her right ankle in October 2020. Again, a success.

It truly is a miracle to look back over the past 5 years and see how far Madeline has come. We are forever grateful to Dr. Scher for giving Madeline her active life back.

Madeline put in the hard work with months of physical therapy and training and the results are nothing short of amazing. Due to all of the pain and inability to run, Madeline switched to playing goalie. Even though she no longer had to run the field, the pain of standing was debilitating prior to the surgery.

This past March Madeline was finally cleared to participate in sports after years of not being able to do so due to the pain. She played goalie for the 8th grade field hockey team. She did such a great job they had her play for both 8th grade teams. Playing for the two teams at the same time immediately following her clearance to participate certainly put her ankles and the surgeries to the test. It was remarkable to watch her finally play with no pain. She also tried out for a travel field hockey team and made it. This year, Madeline started high school and played Varsity field hockey as a freshman goalie. To see the change and progress is amazing. We look forward to watching her continue to play.

To know how upset and sad she was with the pain impacting her socially, emotionally and physically and to see her persevere, persist and flourish with the help, support and dedication of Dr. Scher is such an incredible gift.

We were scared because Madeline was not able to do simple things - ride a bike, walk on the beach and run around. We were not getting anywhere identifying what was going on with her ankles until we met Dr. Scher and HSS. We are so grateful that Madeline is able to be a kid again and do the activities she loves. She is active, healthy and happy! As a parent I will be forever grateful. Madeline is a fully active participant in all sports and activities and is confident and happy.