In September 2007, Lysa Christopher received the call from school that every parent dreads:  “Mrs. Christopher - Ryan fell off the monkey bars.  His arm is broken and appears to be severely dislocated.  He needs immediate medical attention.”

By the time Lysa arrived at the school, seven-year-old Ryan was in shear agony and Lysa could clearly see her son suffered a serious orthopaedic injury. After rushing him to the emergency room at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, the Christophers were informed by the attending physician that their son may have suffered permanent damage and needed to see a Pediatric Orthopaedic Specialist.  They referred them to Dr. Afshin Aminian, medical director of the CHOC Orthopaedic Institute.

Lysa recalls the experience of first arriving on the CHOC campus and meeting Dr. Aminian.  She says, “From the moment we arrived, everyone greeted us with such compassion.  The nurse took my son’s vitals and quickly calmed his – and our – fears. Within minutes, we met Dr. Aminian, whose incredible bedside manner settled my frazzled nerves.  There was no doubt in my mind that we were in the very best of hands at CHOC.”

That evening, Ryan went into surgery.  Dr. Aminian explained everything beforehand and put Ryan at ease about the surgery and his recovery.  Ryan and his family knew exactly what to expect – thanks to Dr. Aminian.

After five weeks, Ryan got his pins and his cast removed.  During that appointment, he shared a hug with his doctor, who told Ryan, “See – I told you everything would be OK and that you’d be back to skateboarding, baseball and fun in no time.”  Dr. Aminian then told Lysa that her son’s arm healed so well, there was barely a sign of injury.

Lysa says her experience with Dr. Aminian and the entire team at CHOC has made her forever grateful.  She says she will never forget him – or CHOC, and counts both as blessings in her family’s life. 

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