The Shadow
Carrigan Cahoon, center, a 17-month-old who suffered a brachial plexus injury during birth, has benefitted from the generosity of the Clifton Forge Shriners Club, which has provided assistance to the family during her treatments. At left, her grandmother, Kim Cahoon, speaks during the opening ceremonies of the recent Fall Foliage Festival in downtown Clifton Forge. At right is Carrigan’s father, Chris Cahoon. (P.E. Marshall Photo)
Carrigan Cahoon, center, a 17-month-old who suffered a brachial plexus injury during birth, has benefitted from the generosity of the Clifton Forge Shriners Club, which has provided assistance to the family during her treatments. At left, her grandmother, Kim Cahoon, speaks during the opening ceremonies of the recent Fall Foliage Festival in downtown Clifton Forge. At right is Carrigan’s father, Chris Cahoon. (P.E. Marshall Photo)
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BY P. E. MARSHALL
Staff Writer
CLIFTON FORGE — Two weeks after brachial plexus surgery, 17-month old Carrigan Cahoon, with her father, Chris Cahoon and paternal grandmother Kim Cahoon, attended the Shriner’s Fall Festival in Clifton Forge.
The Shriners are providing ongoing assistance to the Cahoon family, to include transportation, lodging, and medical care for Carrigan. Carrigan was born with a brachial plexus injury. The brachial plexus is a network of nerves in the armpits and neck, innervating the shoulders, arms, and hands.
Shortly after Carrigan was born to Rebecca Cox and Chris Cahoon in April of last year in Charlotte, N. C., a nurse noticed she wasn’t moving her left arm.
“During delivery, Carri-gan’s shoulder blade got stuck behind her mother’s pelvic bone as the doctor pulled her out,” resulting in brachial plexus, Rebecca said.
Shortly after, Carrigan was moved to Clifton Forge to be close to her relatives, Kim and Wendy Cox, so they could help “keep an eye on her,” Kim said.
Her family noticed Carrigan used her left hand to transfer food, utensils, and toys to her right hand and “she could never fully extend her arm” Rebecca said, so they took her to Charlotte, N.C. to see two doctors who had flown in from the Brachial Institute in Houston, Texas.
After evaluation, it was determined these doctors would not be able to treat Carrigan as Virginia Medicaid, the family’s insurance source, would not cover services provided by another state.
Kim then contacted Shriner Noble Glenn Perry for assistance. Perry is a member of the Clifton Forege Shrine Club which sponsors the annual Fall Foliage Festival.
Funds raised at the festival are send to Shriners’ hospitals.
Kim was familiar with the work of the Shriners as her father had been one and she had met Perry about a year ago.
After meeting with Kim, Perry connected her with Dr. Scott H. Kozin at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, Pa., and Hope Fralin at Kazim Temple in Roanoke.
Dr. Kozin ordered an MRI, physical therapy, and a brace for Carrigan, all provided by Kazim Temple. Also, Kim took videos of Carrigan showing the manner in which she used her arm and forwarded them to Dr. Kozin.
After studying the videos, Dr. Kozin sent for Carrigan. The Shriners, through Falin, arranged transportation for the family to travel to Philadelphia, put them up in a hotel, paid for the surgery, and on-going medical care.
During surgery, Dr. Kozin detached two tendons from under Carrigan’s armpit to turn the bone and placed her in an upper extremity body cast.
“The cast is heavy. It took Carrigan a little bit to get her balance. However, she is adapting well,” Kim explained.
Kim was “surprised at the help from the Shriners. “They jumped right on board.” The Philadelphia Shriners were “top notch.”
Kim doesn’t think “you’d have gotten anything better anywhere else.”
According to Past Potentate of Kazin Shrine Temple in Roanoke and Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Governor’s of the Shriner’s hospital for children in Greenville, S. C., Jim Eller of Clifton Forge said, Shriner’s International owns and operates 22 hospitals across North America and Mexico specializing in treating children from birth to 18 for orthopedic injuries, birth defects, burns, and cleft palates without regard for patient’s ability to pay.
“What separates the Shriners’ hospitals from others is the follow up care they provide,” Eller said.
For more information visit shrinershospitalsforchildren.org.
Carrigan’s prognosis is good. She will return to Philadelphia in November for one week of 3-hours-a-day physical therapy and a splint. “She will eventually be weaned off the splint,” Kim said.
“There is an 80 percent chance she may not have to have anything further done, though she may need surgery every time she has a growth spurt, possibly, every three to four years.”
However, Kim is hopeful Carrigan will recover fully and “do whatever she wants to do in life.”
