Once Barely Able To Walk, Young Rosalinda Off And Running Now

SPOKANE — She was first flown to Spokane from Mexico two years ago unable to walk. Now at five-years-old Rosalinda Garcia will be boarding a plane next week on her own two feet.

Rosalinda Garcia has been getting medical care at Shriner’s Children’s Hospital in Spokane as well at St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic near the border town of Nogales, Arizona. A year ago she was flown to Spokane to treat an infection in her hip. She was born with dysplasia on both sides.

Dr. Glenn Baird, Assistant Chief of Staff at Shriner’s, performed the surgery on Rosalinda.

“For her mother, they were very nervous about the infection at first, I think her mother thought it would be very serious that it was life threatening and in some circumstances it can be,” Dr. Baird said.

The operation went well and six months later in October she was up and walking on her own when Dr. Baird visited St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic on a medical mission. On Tuesday Rosalinda and her mother were back in Spokane and now the young girl with the infectious smile isn’t just walking, she’s running.

During her visit this week to Spokane Dr. Baird removed a plate in her left hip and some  additional bacteria.

“Her outlook I think is good. If the infection incurs, then we would bring her back and treat that again, it wasn’t anything like it was the first time,” he said.

With the help of a translator, Rosalinda’s mother Yadida Arenas reflected on the past year.

“Now she can play very well,” she said. “I don’t have to be following her around to make sure she doesn’t get injured or hurt again.”

Now the challenge is to keep up with Rosalinda, whose newfound mobility frees up her mom to care for Rosalinda’s five sisters who now can give Rosalinda plenty of opportunities to exercise her new found freedom.

“My other daughters like to ride bicycles and Rosalinda likes to run after them,” Yadida said.

Dr. Baird says if all goes well, this will be Rosalinda’s last time visiting Spokane and Shriners Children’s Hospital for treatment.