08/07/2026
Every once in awhile, you have that one payday, that story about Shriners Children’s that takes your breath away.
I have a mole problem right now and I called my Mole Guy-Joe! He showed up late on my birthday evening before sunset and apologized but started setting up traps. He asked me if I was still involved with Shriners and I told I most definitely was still in the business. He then told me that Shriners Children’s saved his daughter’s life. How, I asked? He let me know that we had done 2 surgeries on her and the first one led to the second one and fixed a different issue that was starting to make her feel like life wasn’t worth living.
She had scoliosis and in the process of assessing her, good Dr Wellborn noticed she had a sunken chest and said that needed fixing first, as she wouldn’t be able to handle lying on her chest for 3 hours while they performed scoliosis surgery. I think it’s called Pectus Excavatum. A deformity that causes the sternum and ribs to form inward and shrink the space between the sternum and spine. The surgery to correct it also solved another issue. She had POTS.
“POTS is a specific form of autonomic nervous system dysfunction (dysautonomia). Its core feature is an excessive rise in heart rate (typically ≥30 bpm in adults or ≥40 bpm in adolescents) within 10 minutes of standing, without a significant drop in blood pressure. Symptoms of orthostatic intolerance (dizziness, lightheadedness, palpitations, fatigue, brain fog, etc.) improve when lying down. “
The sternum was too close to her heart and was affecting her beat by pounding against the sternum occasionally and causing tachycardia. After the surgery on her chest, her POTS started to go away. Nine months later she had her scoliosis operated upon and now she’s in a much better place in her life. She has a social life, a boyfriend and is studying to become a commercial pilot. Life suddenly has endless possibilities and her Dad was in tears telling me this story. Needless to say, I was cutting onions myself.
Don’t stop helping kids, Nobles. The payday is out there every day. You just don’t see it happening until someone lets you know. I’m proud to be a Shriner and I’m very proud of Shriners Children’s Portland for their wonderful care of this young lady. Her dad was ecstatic about how well the staff treated his daughter and handled her issues. Bravo! 🙌
