Anna Luczynski

Photo courtesy of the Luczynski family

When you're a child in Austria, you ski. Anna Luczynski aspired to conquer the slopes, just like the other kids in her native country. At Christmas the year she was three-and-a-half, two of her siblings received real skis. Anna wanted them, too. Her parents hesitated. Not only was she still young, there was another, larger issue that made skiing seem questionable. Anna has cerebral palsy.

A Limiting Condition

Anna's condition made physical activities challenging. When she walked, her toes turned in and her hips and knees remained bent. Not only was skiing problem, so was hiking — a favorite family pastime. Often during their excursions in the mountains, one of her parents had to carry Anna. Although she was able to enjoy biking on a four-wheel, orthopedic bicycle, Anna could ride only for a limited amount of time.

"Ever since we knew the diagnosis about Anna's disability, we looked for different kinds of therapies to treat her," says Bozena Luczynski, Anna's mother. "We consulted many doctors about Anna's chances to walk better and to avoid deformations of her feet, knees and spine."

These efforts resulted in little improvement. When Anna was seven, another option presented itself. Anna's parents learned that a friend was planning to travel to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., as a visiting clinician. He agreed to bring along a video of Anna walking to see if Mayo physicians could offer any treatment alternatives. That video found its way to William Shaughnessy, M.D., a Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeon. After viewing the video, he was confident Mayo could help.

A Chance for Improvement

"A condition like Anna's is similar to having a dent in a car. It's not a progressive situation that results in loss of function over the years," Dr. Shaughnessy says. "It's just that part of the brain doesn't work as well as it should, and it never will. But it won't get worse, either."

"When I looked at the video, there were some fairly obvious things that could be improved with surgery," he continues. "But the bigger question was which things and how many. We needed to take a look at her in Mayo's Motion Analysis Lab to determine exactly what her needs were."

The encouragement to come to Mayo Clinic for evaluation, and possibly surgery, surprised the Luczynskis. "We were not prepared in any way to go with Anna to Mayo," says her mother. Dr. Shaughnessy's positive attitude about the possibility of being able to help their daughter convinced them it was worth the trip from Austria to Minnesota.

A Worthwhile Journey

When they arrived at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Shaughnessy had Anna evaluated in the Motion Analysis Lab.

"The analysis showed us what we needed to do," says Dr. Shaughnessy. "Both of Anna's thigh bones had a twist in them, like a piece of licorice. She also had tight hamstring muscles — the muscles that flex your knee — so tight she had trouble getting them straight."

All of the problems the Motion Analysis Lab identified could be corrected with orthopedic surgery. But, convincing Anna that surgery could help took some coaxing.

"Anna didn't want the surgery. She couldn't understand the necessity of it," says Bozena Luczynski. "She lived her life happily, and with our assistance she took part in all activities in the family and with other children."

Bozena and her husband, Cezary Luczynski, realized they wouldn't always be available to offer Anna help whenever she needed it. They knew the results of the surgery were likely to assist her long after they were able to, and much more effectively than the therapies they had tried before.

"Anna's deep trust in us, her parents, was a strong point in the argument that she should have surgery. The atmosphere before the surgery created by the people working at Mayo also made a difference," says her mother.

Bozena emphasizes how important Anna's contact with Dr. Shaughnessy was. "Anna was never intimidated or afraid of his visits," she says. The staff attention to their daughter's needs also pleased Cezary and Bozena. Staff helped Anna make a doll during one of her visits and used it to help explain to her what would happen during surgery. Before the surgery, they gave her a video to watch to keep her mind off of what was coming next. "All of those small accents were a great help to us."

Anna's parents were able to convince her that surgery was in her best interest. During the procedure, Dr. Shaughnessy and his surgical team lengthened Anna's hamstring, rotated the twisted bones in her legs and lengthened one of her Achilles tendons.

A Life Full of Activity

Anna remained in Rochester for seven weeks after surgery participating in physical therapy. She then returned home to Austria, where she continued rehabilitation to regain her strength and mobility. One year after surgery, Anna and her parents returned to Mayo Clinic. A follow-up evaluation showed she had healed well, and the procedure was a success.

Today, Anna's abilities far exceed what they once were. She now hikes alongside her family during their visits to the mountains. She can ride her bicycle as long as she likes, and she's working on learning to swim.

Perhaps most exciting for Anna, she now has her own set of real skis. Although she must always stay with another person because it is difficult for her to stand up by herself on skis, she now joins her sister and brothers as they navigate the lifts and the mountain courses. For Anna, it's all just part of being an active kid in the Alps.