Patient records
Name: Alina
Age: 5 years old
Nationality: Kazakhstan
Diagnosis: Spastic diplegia (cerebral palsy), GMFCS grade III
Treatment Hospital: Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
For a family, the rehabilitation of a child with cerebral palsy is a marathon with no end in sight. When parents take their children around the world, only to hear time and again, "This is the only way," the despair is profound. Alina's story tells how we helped a family find that crucial decision point that could change their destiny amidst the fog of information.
1. A spring that has been repeatedly "loosened"
When Alina's parents came to us, they had already taken her to several hospitals in Kazakhstan, Russia, and South Korea. Alina suffers from spastic diplegia, with extremely high muscle tone in both lower limbs, resulting in a "scissor gait" and an inability to stand independently. She had undergone Achilles tendon lengthening surgery and multiple Botox injections, but the effects were always temporary. Her father used a vivid analogy: "My daughter's legs are like a compressed spring; each surgery only temporarily straightens them, but as soon as the pressure is released, they spring back."
Their request was very specific: "We've heard that there's a surgery in China that can resolve spasticity at its root. Is that true? Would it be suitable for my daughter?"
2. Light a lamp in the "information fog"
Faced with this request, our role was not to make decisions for the doctors, but to help parents obtain all the information they needed to make the right decision. We launched a "Medical Plan Comparison and Compilation" service, accomplishing three things for Alina's family.
First, we transformed "hearsay" into "evidence." We compiled an evidence-based medicine review on "Selective Posterior Rhizotomy (SPR)," explaining the surgical principle in layman's terms: it doesn't loosen muscles, but rather precisely severs the erroneous nerve fibers in the spinal cord that send "abnormal tightening commands" to the muscles. We also compared data from major medical centers worldwide performing SPR surgery, objectively highlighting the leading position of Chinese experts in intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring technology, as well as the unique advantages of combining traditional Chinese medicine with postoperative rehabilitation.
Secondly, we communicated frankly about the "possibilities and limitations" of the surgery. We proactively arranged a remote video consultation with experts from the Department of Pediatric Functional Neurosurgery at Xinhua Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Before the consultation, we had a detailed pre-consultation with Alina's parents, helping them to identify the five most important questions they should ask the doctor, including: "Will the surgery allow her to walk independently?" "What are the biggest risks?" "How long will postoperative recovery take?" "What specific role will traditional Chinese medicine play?" "If the surgical outcome is not ideal, what is Plan B?" This consultation gave Alina's parents a comprehensive and objective understanding of the surgery for the first time, rather than simply viewing it as "a hope for a complete cure."
Third, we constructed a complete "post-operative rehabilitation roadmap." We deeply understand that the success of SPR surgery depends half on the operating table and half on post-operative rehabilitation. We connected Alina with the pediatric rehabilitation center of the same hospital in advance and developed an integrated "Personalized Rehabilitation Roadmap" encompassing "surgery - Traditional Chinese Medicine conditioning - gamified rehabilitation." This roadmap clearly tells parents what to do in the first week after surgery (TCM massage, herbal baths for pain relief), what to do in the first month (core muscle training), and what to do in the first year (gait correction). This gave Alina's parents a clear and actionable future, rather than a vague promise.
3. From "scissor steps" to "jogging"
One year after the surgery, Alina's muscle tone has basically returned to normal. Wearing pink orthotic shoes, she can walk independently and even jog a few steps. In a video she sent to us, her mother said, " Although you didn't perform the surgery on my daughter, you were the ones who helped us find the right people and make the right decisions. You gave us a map and helped us walk this path on our own."
In conclusion: We don't create medical miracles, but we help patients find doctors and treatment plans that can. Through professional medical information integration, honest expectation management, and a closed-loop service process, we aim to provide a guiding light for every family seeking medical care across borders.