When Eitan was turning 3, we had just been given a name for what he had, after a year-long journey towards a diagnosis. I’ll never forget when the geneticist handed us papers about his (wrongly diagnosed) condition, “MED,” and told us NOT to read beyond that point—because the next section talked about Pseudoachondroplasia, and she was convinced Eitan did not have dwarfism.
As his mom, my heart told me otherwise. When I searched “Pseudoachondroplasia,” Dr. Feldman’s name came up almost immediately. I remember reading a patient’s testimonial about how, after years of unhelpful treatment, he finally felt he was in the right hands once he found Dr. Feldman. I made a mental note right then and there: one day, I would seek out Dr. Feldman at the Paley Institute, and if needed, we would fly across the Atlantic to be treated by him.
Fast forward 3 years, and Eitan has already had two summers of leg surgeries with Dr. Feldman. The first, at age 4, corrected his extremely bowed legs—and they came out completely straight! Eight months post-op, during a routine checkup with our local doctors, they noticed one leg starting to bow inward. The doctor casually recommended a triple procedure: deformity correction, 8-plate, and lengthening—all to be done the coming summer. He explained that this was standard for kids with achondroplasia and that it was best to get it done before first grade. I shuddered at the thought. Two summers in a row of bone-breaking surgeries, pain, and rehab for my little boy?
We turned to Dr. Feldman for a second opinion, and he quickly reassured us that Eitan’s bowing leg wasn’t so concerning that it required another surgery right away. More importantly, he explained that lengthening at such a young age (barely 5 at the time) was not only too soon but could actually damage the joints. “With Pseudoachondroplasia, the number one focus is to protect and maintain joint health!” he told us. Once again, Dr. Feldman gave us peace of mind that Eitan was in the right hands.
So, we held off. At Dr. Feldman’s follow-up visit to Israel, he mapped out a plan for surgery the following summer, when Eitan would be 6. And here we are today—Eitan in first grade, having finished his second successful surgery with Dr. Feldman. He started school walking on his own, with straight legs, after a summer of bone deformity correction and intense physical therapy.
The stars truly aligned for us—not only because we have family in Florida, just over an hour from the Paley Institute, but also because our insurance was able to cover everything. I don’t know what we would do otherwise. What I do know is that as long as Dr. Feldman is practicing, we will remain his grateful, faithful patients.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, Dr. Feldman, for giving our son the chance to walk into first grade on his own two straight legs.
With endless gratitude,
Annael and Josh,
Eitan’s parents
