ashleyspalla(@ashleyspalla) instagram tagged download

Check out Episode 12: Peer Mentor Support in Hip Dysplasia Care Featuring Ashley Spalla, out on Spotify and YouTube now!

In this episode, I interview Ashley Spalla, an Army veteran and patient advocate who has undergone over 29 hip surgeries due to hip dysplasia. Ashley shares her journey from diagnosis to surgery, emphasizing the importance of education, awareness, and patient-centered care. We discuss the emotional toll of surgery, the role of mental health in recovery, and the significance of finding the right care team. Ashley also shares about her advocacy work with Miles4Hips, highlighting the impact of social media in providing support and resources for patients.

Connect with Ashley: @ashleyspalla
Miles4Hips: @miles4hips

#PatientPerspectivesPodcast #PatientAdvocacy #SharedDecisionMaking #HealthcareJourney #PatientCenteredCare #MedicalEducation #MedicalAdvocacy #PatientEmpowerment #HealthcareCommunication #PodcastForACause #HipDysplasia #ChronicPain #StorytellingMatters #Medical #PeerMentor #EDS

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This Sunday, hear from Ashley Spalla (@ashleyspalla) on her experience navigating the healthcare system with multiple medical conditions, including EDS and hip dysplasia.

Ashley is also a dedicated advocate, peer mentor with @miles4hips, artist, and an adaptive athlete!

Episode 12 releases on Sunday, April 13th on Spotify and YouTube 🎙️

#PatientPerspectivesPodcast #PatientAdvocacy #SharedDecisionMaking #HealthcareJourney #PatientCenteredCare #MedicalEducation #MedicalAdvocacy #PatientEmpowerment #HealthcareCommunication #PodcastForACause #HipDysplasia #ChronicPain #StorytellingMatters #Medical #EDS

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As I transition from board to bike season, I reflect back on this past season at @tellurideadaptive. This was my 6th year volunteering here, and it was the only reason I came off the road and back from the desert.

During a particularly difficult drive over an icy pass last week, I asked myself "why??". Because these are my people.

The universe has handed these athletes challenges that most of us can't begin to imagine, but every single one of them has decided to do whatever it takes to get outside and find joy. Most of them experience intense pain while they are out playing in the snow, but never once have I heard any one of them complain. This is what makes them my people. When thrown a challenge, they don't hide from it, they scramble to the top and find a way to experience joy in the outdoors. The huge smiles in these photos should tell you everything you need to know.

The athletes, and the program staff, all go above and beyond to express their gratitude for the volunteers. But it's me who is grateful for every one of them, and every minute I get to spend outside with them. 💕

$Ashley… Always fighting with positivity & grace. 💚 My hip story begins before 2009, before two dozen hip surgeries, before losing my hip and 1/3rd of my proximal femur, before my life changed forever... My RPAO was done incorrectly in 2009 setting my right hip course on an unfortunate path. It led to secondary issues like Complex Regional Pain Syndrome in both legs. The luck didn’t change until meeting the amazing Dr. Millis at Boston Children’s Hospital. He was able to correct a lot of issues, but also put puzzle pieces together other doctors ignored. I was diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. It explained so much about how I healed, incision issues, poor healing, fracture non-unions, joint dislocations, etc. I had several hip surgeries on my right hip between 2009-2015, even a few on my left to help manage pain until I could have an LPAO. I had my LPAO until 2015 with an incredible surgeon, Dr. Presley Swann. He saved my left hip & grafted a new labrum from a cadaver tendon that is still going strong! My right hip hasn’t been as lucky from the initial RPAO to surgical complications, infections and the need for a THR at 29. The THR came in 2016 & initially went very well. After a few weeks it showed signs of infection. No matter how hard we tried, we could not rid the infections. By June 2017 I lost my entire right hip/had a girdlestone procedure. It would not be the last of infections & I would continue to lose 1/3rd of my proximal femur. I am currently an adaptive athlete for the Challenged Athlete Foundation for wheelchair racing. I greatly enjoy adaptive alpine skiing as well as wheelchair basketball. I am working on returning to school to become a Physician’s Assistant. I am a board member in a nonprofit called Miles4Hips that helps raise awareness for hip dysplasia. I also co-admin the Periacetabular Osteotomy (PAO) Facebook group to help answer questions & encourage others. I’ve had over two dozen hip surgeries & over forty surgeries total, but I am far more than that. This journey has changed me physically and mentally. It has taught me you are so much stronger & more capable than you think you are.$