Meet Our Patients

Michael Ruud

Michael Thrives, Thanks to Specialized Care You Support

If Michael Ruud had been born just decades earlier, he'd have faced a dramatically different future. His fused fingers, fused toes and high, peaked head were hallmarks of a rare and serious disorder: Apert syndrome.

"I remember paging through a medical book with our doctor to identify Michael's condition," says Mike Ruud, Michael's father. Information in the outdated book terrified the family. "Fifty years ago, there was little hope for children like Michael," Ruud explains. In fact, children with Apert syndrome were often institutionalized because the treatments they needed simply didn't exist.

Today, addressing the complications of Apert syndrome is possible, but complex. Michael has undergone multiple surgeries, including major facial surgery last fall at Gillette.

A Rare Disorder Few Could Treat

When Michael was born, the Ruuds immediately began consulting with specialists in their hometown — and were dismayed to discover that none had operated on a young child with Michael's condition. "We had an uneasy feeling that our son would be a guinea pig," says Ruud.

Soon after, Gillette craniofacial surgeon Robert Wood, M.D., learned about Michael and met the family. Wood explained that Michael would need multiple surgeries to address the malformations characteristic of Apert syndrome. For example, because the syndrome causes joints between certain bones in the skull to close prematurely, Michael's brain had no room to grow. Without corrective surgery, patients with Apert syndrome experience developmental delays and other neurological issues.

Surgeries Give Michael Independence

Michael, now 5, has had 14 surgeries at Gillette. The most recent was a midface advancement - a complex procedure that involves cutting facial bones at precise locations and then pulling them forward. An external fixator, attached to the face and skull, allows the bones to move forward gradually, stimulating the body to grow new bone between the segments.  In addition to giving Michael's face a rounder appearance, the midface advancement corrected his underbite, improving his ability to speak and chew.

Michael's first surgery occurred when he was just 5 months old. The difficult procedure — which expanded and reshaped his skull — involved pulling the skin of his face completely back from his skull. Following surgery, Michael's head was noticeably rounder and, most importantly, large enough to allow his brain to grow. "Seeing our baby covered in head bandages and tubes was unbearable," says Ruud. "But we knew that, now, he would have a future."

Later surgeries separated Michael's fingers and toes. "Our goal was to give Michael fingers in time for his first birthday," Ruud says. "We wanted him to be able to eat his own birthday cake. By his second birthday, we wanted to see him walk. With each surgery comes another new ability."

"Everything It Takes"

Today, a multidisciplinary Gillette team, including craniofacial specialists, neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeons, directs Michael's care. He will likely need many more surgeries in the future (people with Apert syndrome need as many as 50 surgeries throughout their lifetimes). Although the surgeries are difficult, Ruud describes Michael as a healthy and happy little boy with a delightfully mischievous personality.

His parents say they're fortunate to live just hours from the specialized care their son needs. "Caring for children like Michael is what Gillette does best," says Ruud. "We'll do everything it takes to make sure he keeps on thriving — and so will Gillette."

With Your Help, We Can Treat More Children

A growing number of families are seeking Gillette's specialized care, leading to a 135-percent increase in demand for our surgical services in recent years. Our current operating rooms, however, are too small to accommodate the complex surgeries that children like Michael so desperately need. With your support, we hope to expand and enhance our surgical suites next year. Click here to find out how you can support this crucial project.

Donate Now!