On Saturday, May 10, Chloe Ledlum was set to try out for volleyball.
The 13-year-old Buford resident has overcome six separate surgeries related to a rare condition she was born with called congenital short femur, where her right femur, or upper leg bone, was not measuring the same length as her left.
Chloe’s mother, Shannon Ledlum, learned of her daughter’s condition during pregnancy and was referred to Dr. Jorge Fabregas with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Chloe was just two weeks old when she saw Dr. Fabregas and the Children’s orthotics and prosthetics team for the first time. She saw them again when she started walking.
“We just had a plan of care,” Shannon said. “We had shoes made so she could learn to walk evenly and to help prevent further issues.”
In between surgical procedures to address Chloe’s condition, the team added prosthetics to her sneakers and other shoes so she would be able to walk evenly without crutches. As a “girly girl,” Chloe didn’t want to wear sneakers all the time, so the team also added lifts to sandals in the summer months and boots in the winter.
“The limb difference team at Children’s made such a difference in Chloe’s quality of life when she was younger,” Shannon said. “To be able to still personalize it with her picking out a pink or purple shoe that she wanted was huge.”
Chloe had her most recent surgery in January to remove a magnetic rod in her upper thigh that was placed during another surgery in November 2024. At 13, Chloe shouldn’t experience another growth spurt that would affect the discrepancy in her femurs, so her doctors are hopeful this surgery will be her last.
“It brings tears to my eyes every time I think about it because it’s just been a journey,” Shannon said of Chloe’s most recent surgery and the hope that it will be her final procedure. “Every single surgery was another hurdle that we had to overcome. It was a challenge.”
And through those challenges, Chloe said Dr. Fabregas and his team at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta were right there with her.
“I’ve definitely enjoyed him being my main doctor throughout my life,” Chloe said. “I do appreciate everything he’s done for me, and I think he’s a really sweet and funny person.”
“Dr. Fab is awesome, he is so attentive and makes us feel valued,” Shannon said. “We are so grateful he’s got Chloe fabulous again!”
In addition to playing volleyball, Chloe, a seventh grader at Twin Rivers Middle School, is a cheerleader both for rec football and her school’s basketball teams. She is also excited to be part of her school’s STEM team next school year.
After undergoing six surgeries, Chloe’s right leg is scarred from her hip bone all the way down her leg, but those scars are a badge of honor signifying what she has overcome.
“The girl just embraces her scars like it’s nothing,” Shannon said. “Us parents, I think, make it harder than what it is sometimes. If Chloe’s not worried about it, why should I?”
“You’re the one that’s wearing it and bearing, so you should always embrace it,” Chloe said. “Don’t look at the negative or what other people will think. It’s your life, not someone else’s, so live your life the way you want.”
Chloe said her experiences have influenced how she treats other people.
“I’ve always known to be kind and nice to others,” she said, “but realizing other people could also have gone through things like this, have been through anything, you shouldn’t treat them a different way and you should always be nice.”
