Milwaukee teen 1st in state to receive robotic mobility device

FOX6 shares stories from all over. As it turned out, we found one at our station. Val Seiber has been an employee at FOX6 for several years. Her daughter, Trinity, has battled a rare birth injury her entire life. A new device is making a difference.crp robot

Trinity's story began on Aug. 29, 2001. Her mother recalled the day Trinity was born vividly."At the time of the birth, I'm noticing that it wasn't as smooth as my other kids," Val Seiber remembered. "After hours of trying to, you know, get this kid to be born. I hear this like. really faint cry."

Val Seiber delivered a healthy baby girl. However, she quickly realized something wasn't quite right.This was the worst shoulder distortion case I've ever seen," Val Seiber remembered the physician telling her.Trinity sustained a birth trauma called brachial plexus injury (BPI).

"The brachial plexus itself is a complex of nerves that branches off of the spinal cord. Around the level of the neck, as it continues to branch further, it controls motion and sensation of the arm," explained Dr. Alicia Zolkoske, a pediatric non-operative orthopedic physician with Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.In the process of birth, it is possible for that neck area to be stretched and those nerves to be subsequently damaged," she said.

According to the United Brachial Plexus Network's website, statistics about BPI "vary widely." However, it's estimated two to five births out of every 1,000 sustain an injury to the brachial plexus.Dr. Zolkoske said, typically, the injury heals on its own. However, a severe enough injury can have a devastating impact.