Sage Warner
Sage Warner is a typical 10-year-old Texas kid who loves to play golf with his dad. But, “typical” hasn’t always described Sage, who spent much of his childhood battling a serious health condition.
He was 9 months old when his mom, Tish Warner, first noticed something wasn’t right. “I was bathing him in the bathtub; he was old enough to sit up in a little seat,” Tish explained. “And he bent over the seat and I just noticed that his back was really crooked.”
Sage’s doctor diagnosed him with idiopathic infantile scoliosis, an extremely rare form of scoliosis, and explained that the condition was severe and potentially fatal if left untreated. “It was very scary,” Tish said. “He was so little. And there was shock, fear, wondering why. That’s the thing is that you wonder why. Why us? What did we do?”
In order to straighten his spine, Sage was fitted with a rigid brace when he was 1 year old. Over the next several months, the bracing produced little change in the curvature of his spine. When Sage was 3 years old, his pediatrician decided to refer the family to Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Houston. “And so we were contacted by the Shriners and they were just wonderful on the phone,” Tish said. “They said, ‘We want to help you.’ It was just acceptance from the beginning.”
Richard Haynes, M.D., provided Sage with his initial treatment at Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Houston. The practitioners in the hospital’s orthotics and prosthetics department fitted Sage with back braces to stabilize the curve and provided occupational and physical therapy. He was also fitted for additional bracing at outreach clinics hosted by the Khiva Shriners in his hometown of Amarillo, Texas.
By the time Sage was 6 years old, despite having worn eight different custom braces, the curvature of his spine had reached 105 degrees and was rapidly becoming more severe. Dr. Haynes determined surgical intervention would be necessary to prevent the condition from causing Sage problems with his lung development and, possibly, his heart. The first surgery Dr. Haynes performed on Sage involved inserting growing rods in his spine to help it stay straight. Dr. Haynes retired a few months later, and Darrell Hanson, M.D., stepped in to continue Sage’s treatment.
“Scoliosis, especially in a really young child, is something that can really be life- threatening because the lungs in children develop from birth to about the age of 8,” Dr. Hanson explained. “And if there is a big spinal curvature during lung development, it will stunt the lung development. And if you look at children with big curves as infants, they have a much, much decreased life expectancy because of their lung function.”
As Sage grows, he will require additional surgery to expand the rods so his spine will stay straight. He underwent one of these procedures in February 2009, resulting in an almost instant growth of two inches. His father, Mike Warner, took him for a follow-up visit with Dr. Hanson in May. After examining Sage’s X-rays, Dr. Hanson noted that Sage’s curve had improved to a 35-degree curvature. The surgery also marked another major milestone for Sage – for the first time since before he could walk, he no longer has to wear a brace.
“Our life would be different… it would be different if he didn’t have scoliosis, but it would sure be different if we weren’t given the treatment that he’s had,” Tish said. “He’s living a very healthy, happy, fairly normal life. Most people don’t even know that he has scoliosis.”
Despite his physical challenges, Sage has always been active. He began golfing with his dad when he was 3 years old and he has become an exceptional golfer. He also plays acoustic and electric guitar, and he is a Weeblo in the Cub Scouts. He looks forward to the weekends so he can ride the horses at his grandfather’s ranch in White Dear, Texas.
“I think he’s going to have the ability in life to do whatever he wants,” Mike said. “If you ask him right now what he wants to do, he’ll tell you, ‘I want to be a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon.’ He sees what the Shriners have done for him specifically. I think he wants to be in a position where he can help people, especially little kids.”
His mom couldn’t agree more. “I always tell him, ‘You are destined for greatness. You are here for a reason. Maybe it’s to tell your story; maybe it’s to help other people.’ We are so fortunate to have come across this organization that has truly changed our lives.”
Though Sage will admit his journey has been tough at times, he credits his many positive experiences as a patient to the men and women at Shriners Hospitals for Children®. “The people at Shriners are probably the best people I’ve ever known.”