On Friday, May 31st Dillon will be undergoing surgery, selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. 

SDR surgery is a procedure that treats muscle spasticity caused by abnormal communication among the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles. It corrects muscle spasticity by cutting the nerve rootlets in the spinal cord that are sending abnormal signals to the muscles.

An easier way to describe SDR is…When your cell phone gets bad reception, it’s harder to hear what someone is saying. SDR helps “improve reception” by clearing the communication lines between the body’s spinal cord nerves and muscles, which helps decrease muscle tone and stiffness.

Dillon was born at 29 weeks and due to prematurity Dillon has weakness on his left side. Along with weakness, he has spasticity which makes walking more challenging. Dillon gets around with no problems, but his gait is very distinct and he is much slower. He now notices that he isn’t as fast as his friends and gets frustrated with walking up and down stairs, maneuvering around certain areas etc. SDR could be life changing for Dillon! The doctors are very hopeful that once he completes the surgery and extensive therapy, he may walk and run independently without any notable distinctions.  

Dillon will be in the hospital for 4-7 days post-surgery. He will have a few days to recover and then begin working with a physical therapist to gain muscle strength and re-learn to walk. Once we return home Dillon will continue on this journey receiving physical therapy several times a week and stretching daily for 6 months to a year. Dillon is a very strong and determined 6 year old but SDR and recovery is going to be his biggest challenge yet.

Many people have asked about Dillon’s surgery, so I have created this page to keep everyone updated. We feel so blessed to have so many family and friends to support us through this journey.