Kaylee's Story
March 23, 2026
More than Medicine
Regular practices had just begun for the 2024–2025 travel volleyball season when I began noticing a persistent pain in my right hip. It became aggravated during and after practice but seemed to dissipate throughout the day. That being said, I brushed it off as soreness and felt like I just needed to push through.
Over the next few weeks, my hip began to lock up during drills, keeping me from running and causing a lot of pain when jumping or moving side to side. Following one particular practice on January 9, 2025, the pain was much worse and did not go away the next day. I was working part-time at MMC, and the next morning I went into work for a few hours; however, the pain was still significantly worse.
That day, January 10, 2025, I was able to get into Dr. Desnoes’s office the same day because she had numerous cancellations due to inclement weather. She completely validated my concerns and worked efficiently to ease my discomfort. She began with a physical examination and suggested that I have an MRI to determine the cause of my pain.
About an hour later, I had my first MRI, which was relatively simple thanks to the radiology team. After Dr. Hua, the radiologist, reviewed the results, he noticed something and determined that another test was necessary to get a better look. This time, I had an MRI with contrast, and the results showed that I had a 5 cm by 3 cm mass in the head of my femur. The mass had weakened my bone to the point where I had a hairline fracture in the same area.
Hearing the words “mass” or “tumor” is terrifying, and my mind immediately went to the worst places. In that moment, Dr. Hua was also quick to reassure me that the scans suggested the mass was likely benign, though we still needed to determine exactly what it was.
Immediately, numerous doctors worked together to give my family recommendations on the next steps. I was able to get an appointment with a Pediatric Orthopedic Oncologist, who helped calm my nerves and explain what might be going on. She believed it was likely a Non-Ossifying Fibroma—essentially a birthmark in my bone that had caused it to weaken. She recommended stabilizing it surgically, and on January 22, 2025, I had surgery at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital to do just that.
During the operation, they took a biopsy to confirm that the tumor was benign, and thankfully it was. However, it turned out that I didn’t have what they initially suspected. I was diagnosed with fibrous dysplasia, a weakness in the way my bone had formed since childhood. Because of that diagnosis, my surgeon recommended a bone scan to make sure there were no other areas like this elsewhere in my body.
I had that scan done at MMC, and once again the radiology team was spectacular throughout every step of the process. The results came back clean, which was an incredible relief. Now, over a year later and after completing physical therapy, I’m back to doing the things I love. I can swim, run, a nd spend time doing activities with my friends without worrying about my hip.
I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Desnoes, Dr. Hua, and the entire team at MMC for taking my concerns seriously, acting quickly, and supporting me throughout the entire process. Their care made a frightening situation much easier to face.