It was five years ago when Cesar Galvan first came to CHOC to be urgently treated for severe polyarticular Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA), a chronic condition causing joint inflammation. The therapy Cesar had received in the past had not been beneficial and he had not walked for years. Once able to run and play soccer, Cesar was dependent on his wheelchair to move around.

CHOC’s multidisciplinary approach allowed Cesar to receive leading-edge treatment from a team that included, Sandy Leedy, physical therapist; Dr. Sheryl Boon, Division Chief and CHOC Medical Director of Rheumatology; Dr. Samuel Rosenfeld, orthopaedic pediatric surgeon and CHOC Muscular Dystrophy Clinic Director; Rachel Immel, occupational therapist; Nancy Tenenbaum, rheumatology social worker; among other expert clinical staff at CHOC.

The first priority for Cesar’s team was to get him standing upright again, says Dr. Rosenfeld. Dr. Rosenfeld performed a hip replacement on each side, vital in Cesar’s road to walking. Cesar’s treatment also included, treating his arthritis medically, serial casting, physical therapy and aqua therapy. In the pool, Cesar and Sandy worked countless hours on stretching and strengthening exercises, which were critical in his recovery.

Thanks to this high quality treatment at CHOC, Cesar is now able to walk up to 300 meters on his own – an extraordinary accomplishment. “This is a huge advance in his level of independence. He works hard and has big dreams,” Sandy says.

Cesar and his family couldn’t be more excited. They are thankful to the team at CHOC for providing them with the answers and the support they needed.

“I am so thankful to CHOC and everyone who has worked with my son. Thanks to their care and encouragement, he can walk now - I’m so proud of him. They gave him a reason to smile and have hope again,” says Cesar’s mom, Maria Reyes.

Cesar’s progress is also largely attributed to his self-determination and highly motivated attitude, explains Sandy.  Like many of his biggest advocates at CHOC, Sandy has been there every step of the way, working with Cesar to achieve his dream to walk again.

“Sandy is like a second mom to me. She taught me how to walk,” Cesar says.

Cesar will be walking at his high school graduation in June 2008. He continues to see CHOC physicians and hopes to continue to recover and become an engineer one day.

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