“One pound of gelatinous blood hidden below her jaw.”
That’s how Adilia described the physical difference between her twin daughters, Grethell and Greysell, prior to learning about Grethell’s osteoblastoma diagnosis.
Osteoblastoma is a benign, bone-forming tumor that is extremely rare and requires surgical resection. It accounts for about 1% of all primary bone tumors, and usually presents itself in the lower vertebrae of the spine, or long bones of the lower extremity. Grethell was diagnosed in her home country of Nicaragua, but the only option the family had would have left her jawless for life, along with a long road of challenges and obstacles in between.
Thankfully Adilia found Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, where Grethell was treated by a multidisciplinary team including surgical director of the Craniofacial Program, Dr. Jordan P. Steinberg, chief of the Section of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Aaron Berger, and pediatric plastic surgeon Dr. Ashley Ehret.
Shortly after her recovery, Grethell was out and about around Miami. She visited the zoo, ate out at a restaurant, and did other things she enjoyed prior to her diagnosis before heading back to Nicaragua to reunite with her twin sister.
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