Some of the nation's finest pediatric orthopedic surgeons and some of the most prestigious hospitals backed out on a promise to undertake the surgery because they feel it's too complicated a procedure for someone so young - and because Mikaslyn's Medicare insurance won't cover the medical bills, Kristine said.

No one in Montana can do the surgery, and out-of-state hospitals aren't willing to accept Montana's low-paying Medicare coverage, said Mikaslyn's father, Rick.

"Doctors have told us they won't do this surgery after the age of 9 because of the way kids' bones start forming, and anytime after that - while they are still growing - causes more harm than good," Kristine said. "We are chasing time in a lot of ways, and had we known about the leg earlier, had we caught this problem earlier, we would have fixed it earlier."

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Mikaslyn's body language clearly communicates that her dislocated leg is painful and uncomfortable, Kristine said. The youngster has trouble sleeping, and her deep exhaustion is the likely source of her seizure "storms."

"The really irritating thing is that it is possible that had doctors found this earlier, it could have been fixed with a leg brace," Rick said. "Now she's at risk, her potential is at risk.