A 14-year-old Tillsonburg, Ont., teen has returned home and is recovering from a life-changing surgery in the U.S.
Kaytlyn McKibbon has bilateral thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS), which occurs when there’s too much pressure on the nerves or blood vessels in the space between the collarbone and top rib.
She’s unable to lift her arms above her head and requires portable oxygen.
In early April, after nearly $250,000 was raised on a now closed GoFundMe campaign, McKibbon underwent one of two surgeries.
“The surgery was amazing,” she said. “(The surgeon) did an amazing job (and) I can lift my right hand above my head, so that’s pretty cool, and there’s so much more movement.”
McKibbon’s family consulted with several surgeons and eventually chose Dr. Dean Donahue in Boston, Mass. His process involves taking out an entire rib on both sides so there’s no concern of it growing back into the impacted area.
McKibbon’s case is particularly severe and impacts both sides of her body, so she requires two surgeries, one for each side.
The teen’s father says she’s continuing to recover from surgery on her right side and will have to wait until she has full lung function before doing surgery on her left side.
“It was supposed to be towards the end of May or June, (but) they’ve pushed it back six weeks. They want to do another set of x-rays and tests, and see where she’s at,” said Dan McKibbon.
The family says they’re grateful for the support they’ve received on the GoFundMe campaign.
“This has been fantastic. Everything happened much faster than we were expecting,” said the teen’s father.
Meanwhile, Kaytlyn says her high school held a “Blue Shirt Day” to show their support for her.
“It was so amazing. It just really made my day to see all these people supporting me. My favourite colour is blue, (and) it was really sweet,” she said.
— With files from 980 CFPL’s Jacquelyn LeBel and Devon Peacock
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