Spine Saving Surgery for Sienna Rhodes

Update - AUGUST 30th 2020

The Rhodes family would like to extend their sincere gratitude to everyone who has supported Sienna through this journey. People have sent messages, cards, words of encouragement, care packages and the fundraising has far exceeded their hope of fundraising half the cost of the surgery. The family has been overwhelmed with the kindness people have shown - friends, family, neighbours, colleagues, community members and strangers. Several people have reached out to share their experiences with scoliosis and offer their moral support. There have been humble tears shed and many grateful smiles shared with Sienna over these past couple of weeks. An update after Sienna’s surgery will be given by the end of September.

Julie and Jamie would like everyone to know that when Sienna gets to the other side of this, they promise to wholeheartedly pay forward all the kindness and love they feel from the many people supporting them. Thank you!



Spine Saving Surgery for Sienna Rhodes - AUGUST 16th 2020


After months of delay by COVID lock down, on June 11th 2020, Julie (McCrackin) and Jamie Rhodes learned of a new life altering diagnosis for their 12 year old daughter Sienna. Images taken at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto showed a severe double curve in Sienna’s spine called adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Specialists indicated the urgent need for spinal surgery, within 12 weeks, to prevent the curve from further progressing, potentially restricting organ function, causing extreme pain and limiting mobility. 

After many surgical consultations, the only option available to Sienna in Canada is full spinal fusion. Fusion would permanently connect three quarters of the vertebrae in Sienna’s spine with metal plates, screws and rods, eliminate the motion in between, and join the spine into one solid unit. Fusion would stop her natural remaining growth and the joints above and below the fusion would carry all of the weight of her movement. It is highly probable that the fusion would need to be expanded above and/or below the original surgery before she turns 30 years old. Jamie and Julie have refused to believe that this is the best option for their daughter’s future. 

After weeks of research, her parents are relieved to learn that Sienna is an ideal candidate for a non-fusion alternative called ASC (Anterior Scoliosis Correction) surgery -- which is only performed outside of Canada and not covered by OHIP. This type of surgery would allow Sienna to keep her healthy moving spine and maintain its flexibility through a tethering method. The surgeon will still use screws to correct her spine but with tethering, Sienna’s vertebrae will remain healthy and free to move throughout the whole length of her spine. After surgery the hope is that her curves will continue to correct even further with her remaining expected growth. Julie and Jamie feel ASC is a much better option and have met with a surgeon from Germany who is able to schedule surgery as early as September. 

The family has a small window to organize the arrangements required to make this surgery happen. All funds raised will go directly to the $73,000 cost of the ASC spine surgery. This cost does not include flights, accommodations and the months of rehabilitation Sienna will need afterward to re-train her muscles and adjust to her newly aligned body. There will be future follow up visits to Germany and always the potential for costly revisions to the surgery as Sienna grows. Her parents believe that they have to give Sienna the opportunity to have the best spine-saving surgery available in order to have a flexible spine and freedom of movement in her future.

If you know Sienna, you would agree that she approaches everything with positivity and a naivete that is very endearing. And although autism can sometimes make Sienna’s life more challenging, she continues to impress the people around her with her accomplishments and resilience. Sienna loves Five Nights at Freddy’s, cartoons and LOL dolls. She loves her cat (Blue) and even though she likes the family puppy (Striker), she’d probably rather have a fluffy lap dog. It can be challenging to get her out on a hike or walk, but once she is in nature she truly enjoys herself. As her curves  progress, she is troubled with pain and discomfort while walking. Sienna’s true passion for physical activity is swimming - on her own, or with her friends and family. She loves to do back flips, pretend she’s a synchronized swimmer and hangs out under water for a long, long time. The ASC surgery will ensure that Sienna can continue to do these physical activities that she loves.

 Sienna’s family hopes she can have the best chance at a normal childhood and quality of life in her future. They are truly grateful for any support from family, friends, neighbours and the community to help them make this surgery possible.

Funding for Sienna's operation is needed urgently.

Please help support this family and SHARE the link to your Facebook timeline.

IMG_2078.jpeg