Maddie Brown Brush has gone through what few parents ever have to endure… and now, she’s rightfully defending her family and decision-making in the process!
The Sister Wives star made headlines late last month when she updated fans on her 1-year-old daughter Evangalynn Kodi‘s foot amputation surgery. Evie, who was diagnosed before birth with a serious congenital anomaly, had multiple procedures done in the hopes that her future life could be vastly improved with the use of prosthetics.
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But even with the reality TV star momma painstakingly explaining Maddie’s condition and the reasoning behind the surgery the first time, fans and social media followers apparently still didn’t totally understand what has been going on or why the serious procedures were so necessary.
So, now, the 24-year-old mother of two — Maddie has husband Caleb Brush and 3-year-old son Axel James at home for support — is back on Instagram explaining more about Evie’s health. On Wednesday, in part, she wrote (below):
“‘You cut her foot off?’ ‘If she was functional, why did you amputate?’ ‘Wait, where is her foot?’ ‘Was it really necessary to cut her foot off?’ These are all questions I have received since Evie’s surgery. I understand the questions and at first glance, I would ask the same thing. Evie’s left Tibia bone, along with the bowing it had, was also about a 1/3 shorter than her right. When she’s little it’s not super noticeable unless closely looked at. As she grows though, we were looking at the possibility of a dramatic difference. Some families and people opt for a lengthening surgery, but Miss Evie’s difference was in the grey area of if that was even possible or not. With at least 4 major surgeries and the possibility of having to amputate in the end, we chose a Boyd amputation.”
As we reported with the initial story, a Boyd amputation is a very technical procedure that typically allows a patient to be better positioned to use a prosthetic afterward, as it preserves some more foot function than a typical amputation otherwise would.
Obviously, for a child this young to have such serious congenital issues to consider, a good long-term prognosis is critical. Maddie took the next step from there, too, and explained how her family didn’t come to this decision lightly, either.
She added (below):
“This was not a light-hearted decision, we spent the better part of the last year educating ourselves, talking to doctors, prosthetists, other families, and other amputees as we came to the decision we did. Before Evie, I classified amputees as one category. You amputated because there was no way of saving the limb. I think that goes along with #limbdifference education. Sometimes it’s about quality of life. Due to this, I wanted to give a more in-depth explanation and answer all at once. I hope it will all bring awareness to a part of the #limbdifference world.”
Sounds like a concerned, loving parent to us!
Along with that explanation, the reality TV veteran also shared an adorable picture of Evie (inset, above) looking as happy as can be while reading a book — even in spite of her bandages! Love it!!!
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Parenting is really hard, and there’s no one “right” way to do it. All that is made more complicated, too, when you’re told your child has serious health issues, especially so early in life. We can’t even imagine what Maddie and her family have endured here, and the decision-making process they’ve gone through.
[Image via Maddie Brown Brush/Instagram]
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