I will compete in the Olympics

Paulina and the dream she keeps fighting for

Paulina is an active patient at Shriners Hospital; she is 10 years old and has a passion for gymnastics since she was a kid.

Marielva, Paulina's mother, tells us that Pau's pregnancy was complicated and she had to maintain absolute rest. At birth, she was told that the baby possibly had hip dysplasia. Since then, he began to treat Paulina's condition, taking her to a private practice, where they put her a harness. But this did not completely meets Marielva’s needs, who adds that she did not feel comfortable with this prescription for her daughter. Following a referral from a relative Marielva found out about Shriners Hospital and, after some research, decided to bring her little girl for a medical evaluation.

On the day of her appointment at Shriners Hospital, the orthopedist told her that the harness that she previously used would not be of much help, since all it did was hinder the girl's movement. Later, she was told that they would put a Pavlik harness on her. “Pau's hip was a very complex hip. In the three weeks she worn the harness, she couldn't take it off at all. Then, a closed reduction was scheduled for her. Later a CT scan was performed and it came out that her hip was dislocated, it was not just dysplasia. After this diagnosis, Paulina is scheduled for surgery,” says Marielva.

A year after the surgery, she was told that everything had gone well, despite the complexity of the procedure, and that Paulina's hip was getting better. “If I had not gone to the Shriners Hospital and sought another opinion, my daughter would not have improved. We are so grateful to the Hospital,” she says.

Paulina starts in gymnastics “I want to go to the Olympics.”

Since she was four and a half years, Paulina began to like gymnastics. “Due to her surgery, I asked the therapists what sport they recommended, since her hip always needed to be exercised, and they advised swimming. At first, she didn't like it, so I told her that she needed to do exercise for her hip to be in good shape,” explains Marielva. However, Paulina was totally fond of gymnastics. So much she insisted that Pau's family decided to look for a gymnastics school. “I want to go to the Olympics, mom,” was Pau's message to her mom.

That's how Paulina started training at Deportivo Moctezuma, and since she saw it, she had no doubt that that was what she wanted. Sometimes, Pau's hip hurts due to the high impact that this sport produces. She trains on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for 3 or 4 hours, because she wants to go to the Olympics; that is her greatest dream.

After training, Paulina was ready to perform in her first competition, but just one night before, she began to complain of bodily pain resulting from the heavy training. So Marielva decided that, if Paulina did not wake up alone for the competition the next day, she would not wake her up, because she considered that it could be a risky for Pau. However, Paulina woke up and entered the competition and she had a very good performance! She reached the second place. She met the score on the different types of performances, floor, jump, uneven bars, and beam, where she scored well and was promoted for a scholarship from the Mayor's Office.

Currently, Paulina continues training; her parents bought a beam so she could continue exercising during the pandemic. For her mother, the fear that Paulina's hip would be injured persists especially in the more complex exercises. “When she does the Split, I see her left hip does not perform the same, but I don´t know how she does it, the date of the competition, she reaches the score,” says Marielva.

Paulina wants to continue practicing this sport. She decided to drop ballet and continue with gymnastics. She keeps saying she will get to the Olympics.

The Message

“Never doubt on the ability of your children; they give us the best life lessons; they are stronger than us and they teach us many things. Paulina has shown me that even with her dislocation, she has overcome barriers and has fought for her dreams. We must be there for what they need and give them all our support,” concludes Marielva, Paulina's mother.