When our daughter Alisa was born in 2006 with congenital short hip deformity, we were in shock. We spent about two months looking for a doctor in Moscow, where we live, who could explain Alisa’s diagnosis and prospects. Although Russia is the country where Ilizarov’s method was invented, doctors would simply shrug their shoulders, suggesting that we should “wait and observe” until the child was 14 years old. A friend advised us to go to Israel. So we did. In Israel we learned that Alisa’s condition is called PFFD—this was a starting point for our web search, and how we first learned about Dr. Paley on the internet. We were blessed to be able to meet Dr. Paley in person in St. Petersburg, where he came to share his experience with international orthopedic surgeons. Unlike all the other doctors that we met, Dr. Paley gave us a precise vision for Alisa’s future—including a detailed plan for treatment and the risks involved. After meeting with him, we gained peace of mind and the strategy for our actions in the years ahead.
We started our first surgery in 2008. Dr. Paley performed a Super Hip and Super Knee surgery. It should be noted that whatever complications Dr. Paley faced, he successfully solved them at all stages, and therefore our confidence in him is very strong. In 2009–2010 we continued with Dr. Paley at the Paley Advanced Limb Lengthening Institute. Almost seven months of uninterrupted struggle for Alisa’s leg had probably been the most challenging experience in our lives. We know we still have a lot of trials and tribulations to overcome. But this treatment was certainly a landmark. As a result, Alisa gained six centimeters of new femur bone and her legs are now even. Dr. Paley is really number one in his field and we deeply respect him. We don’t know how to thank all the staff at the clinic for all their support during our stay. We are blessed to have met all those wonderful people during our stay: patients and their close ones, and the medical and administrative staff. We have tremendous confidence in Dr. Paley and we pray to God that his talent and health are maintained for a long, long time to grant children with disabilities as much opportunity to heal as they can get in the world.
Dr. Paley’s talents extend far beyond medicine and surgery. He is a great chess player. He speaks seven languages. He can give lectures on the most exciting topics in linguistics, including the evolution of languages, and the listeners would have no doubt that this is the level of a professional linguist. The same applies to many topics in world history. He is a truly Renaissance man of many faculties and yet he is probably the most specialized professional in his field. His mind is always open to experiment and novelty. Yet despite this outstanding knowledge, he is never conceited with his patients. He listens very carefully to all patients, every question is answered. And if a patient’s proposal makes sense to him, he can adopt it without any hesitation or professional superiority. We wish Dr. Paley many years of professional standing and good health. The patients of the world need him and his followers very much.
Olga and Aydin
Moscow, Russia
