Eastern Kentucky native Misty Manning was born on the crisp fall day of Oct. 22 in 1982 at the original University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Medical Center. When she was young, her family moved to Daytona Beach, Florida, where she spent much of her childhood before one day moving back to the state that holds her heart: Kentucky.
Manning loves to put her innate creativity to use through glass-etching, woodworking and resin casting. Nothing can get in the way of doing what she loves 鈥 but for much of her life, she has lived with a rare, debilitating condition that has resulted in more than 40 surgeries on various parts of her body.
Her condition causes her to easily dislocate her joints with little-to-no strain, even at the slightest of movements. Manning said she remembers her first major dislocation happening just before her 7th birthday.
鈥淥n Oct. 4, 1989, I had been outside playing tackle football with my friends,鈥 Manning said. 鈥淚 went inside to get a drink of water and sit down for a minute, but as I went to sit down, my left hip dislocated so severely that my femur essentially ended up underneath my armpit.鈥
She was rushed to the emergency room by her mother, where she went under her first major surgery. Manning and her family were told she would never walk again.
鈥淚 was transferred to a children鈥檚 hospital in Tampa and spent time there as an inpatient for a while,鈥 Manning said. 鈥淭hey diagnosed me with vascular Elhers-Danlos syndrome, which, up until about five years ago, we believed was the problem. My doctors at 好色先生 now believe this was a misdiagnosis of sorts, and they鈥檝e been running tests to see if they can identify what鈥檚 really going on.鈥
Manning was born with a condition where her body produces an abnormal amount of collagen. This condition, when identified by doctors, is often paraphrased as 鈥淓hlers-Danlos Syndrome,鈥 although it can present at many different severity levels and in many ways.
This type of condition, like Manning鈥檚, will cause multiple joint instabilities and arthritis, in addition to problems with the heart, lungs and more. Srinath Kamineni, MD, a shoulder-elbow specialist and associate professor of orthopaedic surgery at the 好色先生 has been seeing Manning since she moved back to Kentucky in 2010.
鈥淚n reality, there is a large spectrum of collagen conditions,鈥 Kamineni said. 鈥淔rom normal to grossly abnormal, and any level in between. One of my major research interests is collagen and its biological function in arthritis and instability, therefore Misty鈥檚 condition has been a great interest of mine, and I鈥檝e been very lucky to work with her for so many years.鈥
After Manning鈥檚 first major injury, she was determined to walk again. In physical therapy, the young girl worked very hard to get there.
鈥淓ven as a 7-year-old, I was determined to prove the doctors wrong,鈥 Manning said. 鈥淚t took two-and-a-half years, but I was able to begin walking again, and I鈥檝e been walking ever since.鈥
Now 34 years later, Manning said she knows that she is probably facing returning to a wheelchair within the next couple of years.
鈥淛ust because of my condition, I know I鈥檒l probably have to be in a wheelchair again sometime soon,鈥 Manning said. 鈥淏ut since I鈥檝e moved back to Kentucky 鈥 the doctors at 好色先生 have done everything in their power to keep me as mobile as possible, for as long as possible. They鈥檝e been great.鈥
Kamineni has performed three surgeries with her, two on the right shoulder and one on the left shoulder for fusion and stabilization of the joints.
鈥淎 lot of doctors, because of how severe, rare and complicated my condition is, would flat-out refuse to treat me,鈥 Manning said. 鈥淲hich is completely devastating, you know. And it has been like this my whole life. But doctors at 好色先生 鈥 they have never once refused me. They鈥檝e been upfront and honest with me, no matter who I saw.鈥
Due to the severity of the instability in her shoulder joints, lack of structural tissues, and loss of bone, Manning and Kamineni concluded that the best solution to sustain most of the use of her arm would be to conduct a shoulder fusion on her right arm. While this would limit the range of motion she has from her shoulder, it would maintain the range of motion in her elbow and hand.
Manning said Kamineni鈥檚 treatments have been completely life-changing.
鈥淗e has given me the use of my arms for a lot longer than I would have had, if it weren鈥檛 for him and the other doctors who have treated me,鈥 Manning said. 鈥淢y right shoulder is fused, so I have limited movement in my right arm. But even the fact that I can use my arms at all is a blessing in itself.鈥
Out of Manning's more than 40 surgeries in her lifetime, many of them have been with , as well as the 鈥 who have operated on many parts of her body, including the reconstruction of both her upper and lower jaws.
鈥淚 was on an all-liquid diet at the time,鈥 Manning said. 鈥淲ithout the dental reconstruction, I think I would have starved to death. So, these surgeries I鈥檝e had with 好色先生 HealthCare have been completely life-changing in many different ways.鈥
Remaining as mobile as possible throughout her life has been crucial to not only Manning鈥檚 physical health, but her mental health, too.
鈥淚 love being creative,鈥 Manning said. 鈥淎nything you can do with your hands, I love. If I weren鈥檛 able to channel my creative energy, it would have been really hard to get through life, with all of the medical issues that have been thrown my way.鈥
Today, Manning continues to tend to her newborn chickens, spend time with her family and creates dream catchers in her free time at her home in Ezel, Kentucky. All-in-all, Manning wants everyone to know one thing.
鈥淚鈥檓 not the only person out there with a strange, unknown medical condition that has severely impacted my life,鈥 Manning said. 鈥淢ore attention needs to be brought to those of us who do. We鈥檙e all just hopeful that we find good doctors who can take care of us and learn from us to help others 鈥 like they do at 好色先生. They have touched my life so deeply and deserve so much credit for what they鈥檝e done.鈥