ST. LOUIS — One former St. Louis Children's Hospital patient has turned her struggles into a calling that's changing lives.
Riley Kruse, now a pre-med student, was born two months early in 2005 with a condition called hemifacial microsomia.
Dr. Kamlesh Patel, a pediatric plastic surgeon at the hospital, explains, "Hemifacial microsomia can in most cases involve the jaw, meaning one side of the jaw is a little bit smaller and you can have variations of that between just a bit smaller versus segments that are missing."
A golf ball-sized brain tumor and a weak heart led to 23 surgeries, most of which, were before Riley was five years old.
Fast forward to 2019, when 17-year-old Riley met Dr. Patel. His innovative approach would change her life.
"Everyone doesn't get the same operation," Dr. Patel said. "You have to tailor it based on everyone's anatomy. And the beauty of now is that we can actually create patient-specific implants, patient-specific jaw replacement implants as well."
In a groundbreaking 14-hour operation, Dr. Patel and his team implanted a full titanium jaw —a first for Children's Hospital. The recovery was grueling.
"It was hard. It was a hard, probably six months after the recovery was nothing like I've ever experienced," Riley recalled.
But Riley powered through. Now in college and pursuing pre-med, she's shadowing the very doctor who changed her life.
"I truly just feel like I was called to become a doctor and change lives. Like mine has been changed," Riley said.
Her journey has come full circle. Today, as Dr. Patel meets with 18-year-old patient Jack Lofton, Riley is there too - offering a unique perspective and hope.
Jack's mother, Mindy, shares, "Look at her, she's great. She's, you know, happy. She, you know, is glad she did this. So we were just kind of put at peace when we met her."
For Jack, Riley's presence is invaluable.
"Just having someone that's like my age, someone that knows what I've done and someone that can put it in words that I understand better, it definitely helps me just process information a little bit better," he said.
In a world where scars often tell stories of pain, Riley's tell a different tale - one of resilience and hope. She offers encouragement to others facing similar challenges: "If you're going through a surgery or anything, that you will always come out on the other end and be able to inspire others and that God has made them this way for a reason and that they should embrace it."
Riley's story shows that sometimes, the best medicine doesn't come in a bottle, but from a friend who's walked the same path. As Dr. Patel puts it, for patients like Riley and those she inspires, "The sky's the limit."