Prince Albert girl learns to walk with help from Saskatchewan Shriners

Two weeks ago Rochelle Diehl watched as her nine-year-old daughter Addison emerged from the arrivals gate at the John Diefenbaker International Airport in Saskatoon. With crutches on both her arms, Addison was walking on two feet for the first time.

“It was amazing to see two feet on the ground and she was just givin’ ‘er. It just brought tears to your eyes. It was fantastic. I didn’t think it would ever happen,” Diehl said.

“It just seemed so surreal, like, ‘Oh my God, she’s actually got two feet on the ground. This is amazing.’”

Addison was returning home from her second stay at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. Addison has arthrogryposis, a congenital condition in which the joints are contracted, adversely affecting limb function. Her grandfather said Addison’s feet and legs were “wrapped up like a pretzel” when she born at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon.

To add to the complications, Addison was born three months premature.

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