Olivia Ornelas has been a firecracker since the day she was born. Even though she is only three years old, she has showed so much fight, resilience, and tenacity in her few years that Olivia’s parents lovingly refer to her as their “honey badger”. A traumatic birth experience left Olivia with a brachial plexus injury (Erb’s Palsy) which damaged the nerves in her left arm and left her with zero movement or functional use in that extremity. The brachial plexus is a complex network of nerves that sends signals and information to the body. This type of injury occurs when these nerves are stretched, compressed, or in the most serious cases (and what happened to Olivia), torn away from the spinal cord. Olivia’s parents, Christabelle and Gonsalo, were overwhelmed with the prognosis and turned to Midland Children’s Rehabilitation Center for help.
Olivia had her first evaulation at MCRC at only two weeks old and began working with Physical Therapist, Brooke, soon after. When she was four months old, she underwent an eight hour nerve transfer surgery at Texas Children’s Hosptial in Houston to repair some of the nerve damage. The surgery consisted of harvesting nerves from both legs and transplanting them into the arm. Unfortunately, Olivia was left with permanent damage and the surgeons were uncertain of what remaining arm function she would have or if she would be able to attain new movement. This is when her journey at MCRC really began. After the surgery, she began seeing Occupational Therapist, Leigha, in conjunction with her physical therapy with Brooke. Her therapy focused on assisting the left arm to be included during all gross and fine motor activities in order to faciliate new voluntary movement in the arm.
After three years of weekly therapy at MCRC and daily exercises and stretching at home, Olivia has made incredible gains and has overcome obstacles her parents had never thought possible. They attribute every little success to the fearless child they are raising, but also to the two women who have been her biggest cheerleaders since day one: her therapists, Brooke and Leigha. From the beginning, these ladies took a proactive approach and were in constant contact with Olivia’s doctors to make sure she was receiving the best possible care and therapy for her injury. Her therapists credit Olivia’s persistence and fierce personality to her adaptability, but also her parents’ dedication to completing the daily exercises in their home. “The parent carry over piece is SO pivotal and has made the difference between little use of the arm to phenomenal results and ability,” said Leigha Foote, O.T.R.
Olivia’s parents are grateful to MCRC for giving their daughter confidence and helping her accomplish tasks that once seemed impossible. The family knows that Olivia has a long road ahead of her - including the likelihood of additional surgeries - and that she will face challenges every single day. But they also know that Olivia has the tools, personality, and the support of her family and therapists at MCRC to get her through any obstacle. They are so proud of Olivia and all that she has overcome; she has such a bright future ahead of her. We can’t wait to see what more this little “honey badger” can do!
