Local Shriners help Jamaican baby get surgery

Jamaican mother Geneva Bennett didn't have access last January to the C-section that could have prevented her daughter, Isabel, from tearing the nerves in her arm as she became stuck in the birth canal for more than six minutes.

But thanks to two Poplar Bluff residents and the Shriners Hospitals for Children in St. Louis, Izzy received surgery Jan. 15 to begin repairing that damage.

It is part of the work Shriners does at 22 hospitals throughout the U.S., and for about 25 to 30 Poplar Bluff area children currently, said Joe Shivley, who was involved in the effort to bring Izzy to the United States. Shivley, of Poplar Bluff, is on the St. Louis Board of Governors for the hospital.

"Isabel went through the surgery real well," said Shivley, who traveled to St. Louis to meet with the little girl's parents.

The family was understandably anxious, and there were a lot of tears in the room, he said.

Moolah Shriner Joe Shivley, center, is pictured with Isabel "Izzy" Bennett's parents, Geneva and Terrence.Submitted photo

"Imagine having a daughter less than a year old and getting on an airplane with a doctor and placing your daughter in the hands of surgeons you've never met. That's a huge step in faith," said Shivley. "You could tell the apprehensions of being in a foreign place and your daughter being in an eight-hour surgery."

Izzy came through the Brachial Plexus Palsy surgery well, according to the hospital, and will need a second surgery later this year. Doctors are hopeful this will increase the girl's range of motion and she will be able to start walking.

Shivley says his role in getting Izzy to the U.S. was minor, and was just about helping connect the family with specialists who could help.

Shivley learned about the family through a mutual friend of Dr. Debra Robertson, a Poplar Bluff pediatrician.

Robertson met the Bennett family in Jamaica, while on a medical mission trip.

The family lives in south central Jamaica, about two hours from the capitol and from the nearest children's hospital, Shriners reported.

Izzy's parents were aware something was wrong with Izzy's shoulder when she was born, but the torn nerves were not diagnosed until last July.

Roberston recognized Izzy's condition and suggested the Bennetts take Izzy to Bustamante Children's Hospital in Kingston, according to Shriners. She also recommended reaching out to the Shriners, and connected them with Shivley to help get Izzy an appointment.

"We have a network of 22 hospitals throughout the U.S. where we treat children from birth to the age of 18 for numerous bone and orthopedic conditions," Shivley said. "We do that free of charge. We raise money daily. People in the Poplar Bluff community are fantastic supporters of the Shriners hospitals."

It costs about $2.6 million per day to run this network of health care facilities, Shivley said.

To learn more about the organization, visit shrinershospitalsforchildren.org.