Ryder began daily growth hormone injections on June 26th and is doing well. Despite the fact that they are not fun they have become part of his daily routine and he often jokes or enjoys the company of a pup during the process.

We now have confirmation that Ryder will need knee surgery on both knees. After meeting with a second pediatric orthopedic surgeon and following up with the transplant team, everyone feels this is the best route to take. On July 20th Ryder will have surgery at Kaiser Santa Clara to place a metal plate in each knee to address the knock knee (misalignment). The hope is we will see some growth with the hormones and the misalignment will correct itself. Even if the correction doesn’t happen the plates will hopefully prevent the misalignment from getting worse and causing more serious problems leading to a massive bone surgery in the future. While this knee surgery is considered outpatient and Ryder is scheduled to go home the same day, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital is on standby to admit Ryder if they decide they want to keep him overnight. We will post his status again after the surgery. #TeamRyder