Georgia 2-year-old with hip dysplasia enrolls in gymnastics

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A two-year-old Georgia girl is giving us all a lesson in resilience. It is hard to believe but she has endured years of surgery and treatments.

It is true that we all need a community, a group of people who you can go through the hard moments with, who help you feel a little less alone.

“We get to hang out with little people, little kids! We get to help them get back to being kids,” said Dr. Tim Schrader with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Sometimes pieces of your community come from unexpected places--in this case, a doctor at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta who came into Hattie Martin’s life when her daughter was 6 weeks old.

“She was so young we actually used an ultrasound to determine where her hip was,” said Dr. Schrader.

Reagan was supposed to have a normal childhood.

“They told me she had hip dysplasia and that her hip wasn’t staying in the socket like it was supposed to,” said Hattie Martin, Reagan’s Mom.

The recovery happened slowly, after surgeries and treatments, you can’t stop her. She is two years old now and enrolled in gymnastics. She is a ball of energy and joy. She is adventurous. You would never know the years of surgery and treatments behind her.

”It is not a death sentence. I thought it was going to be the end of the world for us and it was just fine,” said Hattie.

Hattie’s community grew with Reagan’s diagnosis. Years ago, Dr. Schrader created an online group where parents could talk about their babies in a safe space, where they can trade therapy tools and encourage one another. It is still going strong.

”It helps the families and it helps me,” said Dr. Schrader.

Hattie says the group has helped her maneuver the diagnosis, and help others do the same. Even in hardship, in the moments in life that weren’t supposed to come, community can be created.

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