Dear Shubert,

How do I put into words how thankful I am for what you have done for my son Seth. You are truly an inspiration to both me and Seth. Seth can be a little stubborn at time. You have given him such encouragement and an incentive to make him use both his left and "RIGHT" hand. He has spent so many years using only one hand. Today, we started our lives with Seth realizing he not only has one hand, but TWO!!!!

With Much Affection,
Suzie Schissler


Biography by Seth:

When I was born, I had a stroke and it changed my life, I had Cerebral Palsy. When my mom brought me home, she did not know that I had it, but when she noticed something strange with my hand my mom brought me to the doctor they said that your son has Cerebral Palsy. When my mom came home with me and when my mima said what's wrong. My mom then said your grandson has Cerebral Palsy. My mima and papa were not that worried, but when my mom was looking at me she saw that my hand was not straight so the doctor said that I need a splint. When I got one I had to wear it in till Kindergarten. When I went back to the doctor he said that your sons hand had not changed and that you should come back in about 4th grade. So when we did come back I was in 4th grade and the doctor had sent us to a person by the name of Shubert Chang. He said that I would have to wear a cast to then make it straight. For the first 2 weeks I got a red cast. Then for the next 2 weeks I got a blue cast. When Mr. Chang saw my hand he said that I should come back in about 1 week or so. After that 1 week he took off my cast and saw what my hand looked liked. It looked a lot straighter then it was before. I wanted a green cast for the next 2 weeks, but sadly there was not green left so I ended up just getting a red. After the 2 weeks are up I can get a splint on and this cast off. I am so excited and cannot wait to see what my hand will look like. Thank you so much to Mr. Chang for all my casting and splint. My hand is now ready to feed me French Fries. Thank you so much Mr. Chang.

Dear Melisa and Shubert,

I wanted to thank you both for such professional help with my daughter. At Dynamic Orthopedics, she was immediately seen for an evaluation for a scoliosis brace. Shubert explained how the brace would be made and the purpose of wearing it daily. He formed a basic casting of her torso and this was used to make the brace. Specialists constructed it and Shubert made the final adjustments. Since she had had the brace, she has grown taller and her spine is straighter. He doctor is very pleased. Minor adjustments have been made with great results. She has been able to continue Irish step dancing and competitions and even won a first place most recently. She competed with the track team at her middle school and loves to exercise. If she had not gotten this brace her spinal curve would have been much worse and she would not be as active. We are thankful for the terrific talents Dynamic Orthopedics has given us and it has changed her life positively.

Sincerely,
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Chase

HE MARCHED
By Laura Giordano

It was a rainy September night when my son came into the world. I was barely 21 years old, and at 12:26am my life changed forever. Caleb was born with a congenital short femur. His right thigh bone had stopped growing in my womb, and consequently one leg was shorter than the other. For months after his birth we sought opinions from doctors, who stretched and pulled and rotated his leg while he cried. We held him down for X-rays and MRI’s; we sat in dimly lit waiting rooms among unsmiling people and we wondered what would become of our baby boy.

On July 20, 1999, when Caleb was 22 months old we drove into the city while he sat smiling and oblivious in his car seat. He was wearing red socks, and it was the last time I would ever see his little precious foot. The prognosis on Caleb’s condition was that his leg would never grow at a normal rate; the only option was to amputate. I watched his fuzzy blonde head disappear into the operating room, and the next time I saw him he was covered in tubes and a cast so white it was blinding.

For 8 weeks Caleb endured the torturous body cast, and I became an expert at keeping a 2year old still. Several months later Caleb was fitted for his first prosthetic leg, and the day he wore it home was the first day he walked. For 8 years we used the same prosthetist and at the rate Caleb was growing he needed a new leg every year. In the fall of 2007, we were informed that our new insurance plan would not cover a new prosthesis. After months of research, and exploring our options we faced the realization that we were on our own. There was nothing anybody could, or would do to help our son. I watched painfully as his walking began to falter, his discomfort increased, and his activities became limited due to an ill-fitting leg. Every day my anxiety grew, as I helplessly stood by and prayed for the Heavens to open up and send an answer.

One night at my weekly prayer group I was approached by an angel on earth named Diana. Her husband, Joe Gannascoli, is an actor who had recently gotten involved with a children’s charity called Bright Steps Forward. Diana set the wheels in motion and the next day Joe contacted my husband. Within hours Bright Steps had contacted us and we were on the path to a new prosthesis, and they were researching the options. At a charity event Joe mentioned Caleb’s situation to Shubert Chang, a CPO, and his wife Melisa, a Physical Therapist, both amputees themselves. Without hesitation, the Changs offered to make Caleb a leg. Before we knew it, my husband and Caleb were flying to Florida to begin the process of getting his new prosthesis.

When Caleb arrived home after just a week with a beautiful new leg, I felt like I was in a dream. His walk was straight and sure, no more discomfort and no more pain. There are very few things on earth, more difficult than seeing your child suffer; and fewer things more wonderful than seeing your child come through the other side.

On Memorial Day, Caleb played the drums in the town parade. My heart swelled as I watched him march up the street, each step strong and confident. I couldn’t bear to miss one single beat, so I ran beside him the whole way. I thought of the Gannascolis and how they opened the door for him. I thought of Bright Steps and how they ushered Caleb through the door; and I thought of the Changs and how they brought Caleb into a whole new dimension of hope. He will always know that these people worked together to change the course of his life. It is because of that, because of generosity of spirit, and talent and heart…because of it, he marched.

I have known Shubert Chang for 10 years. At the time I was having a myriad of problems wearing a prosthetic device. I had exhausted all possibilities here in the United States including some of the top prosthetic companies in the country. My insurance company was going to pay my way to Germany where they were advancing prosthetics I thought faster then in United States.

My major problem was trying to find a prosthetics that could fit an otherwise very difficult stump. All attempts up to this time were unsuccessful.

My activity level is very high…. Surfing, weightlifting, ultimately I wanted to go back into competing in men’s pro surfing. So in turn it was extremely important to find someone who could give me a highly customized fit, which would accomplish my goals.

Many times the wearer is confused by a lot of the media induced advances in prosthetics. A good prosthetist will direct you into what you need and what is best for you rather then what you want. These particular instances have happened to me and Shubert has directed me in a gentle sense into keeping it simple stupid. That philosophy in prosthetics has worked for me perfectly.

I couldn’t recommend anyone more highly then Shubert and Melisa Chang.

Kindest Regards,

Geoffrey “Pegleg” Comfort
Right BK