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Nervous first-time mom Audrey Solomon found out her OB-GYN doctor was leaving—something that did not help her concerns in the moment.

Audrey, an organized human resource manager, processed the news then asked for a random pick of another OB-GYN at UTMB Health, figuring she could make it work.

The random doctor turned out to be perfect for Audrey and her concerns.

“She made me feel right at home,” Audrey said. “She heard everything I said.”

Audrey has a rare genetic condition, something she needed this new doctor to understand from the beginning. Her doctor researched the condition—nail patella syndrome— to know what to look out for, then set Audrey up with numerous precautions to follow. The doctor monitored the baby a little bit more regularly than normal.

“She made sure that I was comfortable and had exactly the care that I needed to make sure that my baby and I were both safe at all times,” Audrey said.

Nail patella syndrome is an uncommon genetic condition that affects joints and can cause bone deformity. Later, it can cause possible kidney problems or eye problems.

It can also be inherited.

“My daughter did inherit it,” Audrey said. “I was the first in my family to have it. It was just kind of a random mutation.”

It wasn’t just this OB-GYN who reassured and cared for Audrey. Many UTMB providers have brought the same level of kindness and attentiveness to Audrey, who describes herself as someone who will be forever grateful to UTMB.

“We've had nothing but great experiences with all of our doctors, and I couldn't be more thankful for it.”

Maisie Solomon was born in 2021 at UTMB Health Clear Lake Campus. Her mom Audrey was born at John Sealy Hospital 30 years ago on the UTMB Health Galveston Campus.

“My daughter and I were both born with bilateral clubfoot,” Audrey said. “I am very familiar with the genetics team and the orthopedics team at UTMB, and we love everybody—all the teams. They're awesome.”

As a child, Audrey spent time in the hospital because of a club foot and other bone-related issues. She saw Dr. David Yngve, a UTMB Health pediatric orthopedic specialist, throughout her childhood.

“My daughter sees him now,” she said. “He doesn't accept new patients that I'm aware of for a case like hers, but he did because she was like a legacy patient. I really couldn't have been more grateful. We love it.”

Dr. Yngve is now chief of Pediatric Orthopedics and Scoliosis Surgery at John Sealy Hospital.

“Mom was my patient as a baby and now her baby is my patient,” Dr. Yngve said. “That is pretty special for a doctor.”

At 16 months old, Maisie started to stand a little bit with support and then took her first unassisted steps.

“She's a little bit more behind with the mobility stuff because of her feet,” Audrey said. “But she's getting there and getting stronger, and she's starting to cruise holding on to coffee table and couches.”

Cory Solomon, Audrey’s husband and Maisie’s dad, kept a close eye on his daughter’s movements around their living room.

“Growing up, I never had a family of doctors that I could always rely on, but as soon as I married Audrey and we started this journey with UTMB, I did,” Cory said. “I never knew that you could have a sense of community with your medical professionals.”

Both Maisie and Audrey have slightly crooked fingers and fingernails as well as bilateral club foot. “She is a carbon copy of me,” Audrey said.

Audrey knows Maisie will face challenges throughout her life. Maisie has already had to wear casts on her feet and a brace for part of the day. Her kneecaps might not develop.

“I've always felt like I could do anything I wanted to do,” Audrey said. “And I hope that Maisie feels the same way. With our care team at UTMB, we are confident that we will have the support we need every step of the way in any challenge she might face.” 

During Audrey’s final performance as a drum major when she was at Texas City High School, the pain in her elbow grew so intense, she told her parents she needed to see Dr. Ygnve right away. A month later, she had surgery on her elbow.

“UTMB is definitely part of my story,” Audrey said. “For me, it's all I've ever known.”

Even in college, when she was away from home, she didn't go to a doctor where she lived at that time. Instead, she made trips home to see family and also to take care of medical appointments.

When she got pregnant with Maisie, Audrey thought she already knew and had done her own research about her condition.

“When Maisie was born, I kickstarted my own self-care that I should have truly been doing all along for nail patella syndrome, and we both started seeing the genetics team,” Audrey said.

One of the first things her doctor did was set up a bone density scan. 

“I didn’t know that bone density was a concern, and I didn’t think anything would come from it,” Audrey said. “My scan showed that I have very low bone density—osteopenia—that is not very common for my age but more common for nail patella syndrome patients at my age.  Most folks don’t find out about bone density issues until they have broken a bone, but my plan of care allowed me to find out now and start corrective action now.”

Audrey will have a new bone density scan at the one-year mark to see if it has improved. 

“To have my daughter join this community and for it to be a part of her journey is all really special,” Audrey said.

“We have such a great care team and the community behind it. I keep saying community, but it really is just like a family. People I've known my whole life, we are now bringing into her life. And there are new care teams. Everybody's great. There's a very, very high level of comfort with UTMB that makes me not want to go anywhere else.”

Priest Simpson jumped high to catch a football during a game, but he fell to the ground fast when his muscles pulled the still-growing part of his tibia away from his leg and turned it upside down. His leg looked crooked.

“I thought it was dislocated because it was still connected to other part of my knee,” Priest said. His worried parents got him to the emergency room at UTMB League City Hospital.

But his leg wasn’t dislocated. Priest had a displaced avulsion fracture of his tibial tubercle.

“This is a big injury for an athlete but also for anyone who expects normal function of their leg,” said Dr. William Weiss, an orthopedic sports medicine doctor with UTMB Health who treated Priest soon after he arrived at the hospital. “This injury completely disrupts the extensor mechanism of the knee that is the primary mechanism for generating power for running and jumping, which are some of the things Priest does well!”

Priest’s injury was on the more severe end of the scale, requiring an operation with screws to reduce and secure the fragment with patellar tendon tensioning. Dr. Weiss anticipated Priest’s continued growth.

“He recovered well and was discharged from the hospital with the expectation he would return to sports. This injury can end athletic careers for young athletes, but that is not what Priest or his parents – or me – wanted of course.”

The fracture happened in April 2021, and three months later, Dr. Weiss cleared Priest for full training. By September 2021, he cleared him to return to full sport without restrictions. That fall, Priest competed as part of an elite football team representing Texas on the national level.

Then Priest and his family temporarily moved to Africa as part of his family's missionary commitments, Dr. Weiss stayed in touch.

“What stuck out with us, and the reason why we stayed in contact even out of the country, was how Dr. Weiss spent an extreme amount of time with Priest,” said Ariel Simpson, Priest’s mother. “He didn't just rush. We know he's busy. We know he has a lot of patients. But he took his time with Priest. He saw him multiple times before we left the country again. He gave advice beyond the surgery and showed extreme care for Priest.”

Some of Dr. Weiss's advice was to get physical therapy for Priest to strengthen his muscles and tendons around the bones and the ligaments.

“And that really helped with pain,” Ariel Simpson said.

“I started this physical therapy, and then I went to the gym and started working on my legs until I felt strong enough to get back into sports,” Priest said.

He continues working with a trainer on a well-rounded routine that includes running, balancing, band work and weightlifting. He works out with the trainer every other day for 90 minutes in addition to his sports practices and games.

“Bottom line is that this is a great young man who has overcome a significant injury and continues to be very active in various sports with great potential for his future,” Dr. Weiss said. “I expect great things from him in all aspects of his life, not just sports.”

Priest, now 14, and his family visited friends [extended family] in Texas in December. They visited with Dr. Weiss in person before they returned to their missionary work in Africa.

“As a parent, it's difficult to watch your child in any kind of pain at all,” Ariel Simpson said. “We didn't know how he was going to recover or what that was going to look like. But it's incredible if you are surrounded by a medical staff and specifically a surgeon who cares. It made a difference to us very deeply in this stressful, heartbreaking moment.”

“To see how strong he is today really takes your breath away when you think about how he's recovered,” said Sean Simpson, Priest’s father. “Now he's 6 foot. He's healthy. He's 170 pounds. Seeing what he can do and work out his full body— it's just impressive.”

Priest, who plays soccer and basketball too, has a strategic game plan for when he returns to live in the United States.

“I want to come back to play high school football and get a scholarship to play college football,” he said.

And he’s still growing.

UTMB Health nurse practitioner Jill Resendez helps patients close the loop on breast cancer, one strategically placed tattoo at a time. She and her former patient Tina Herring joined Meagan Clanahan of Houston Moms for a recent chat where Herring shared her personal story and how reconstruction helped in her healing process as a cancer survivor.

Jill Resendez is a nurse practitioner with Plastic Surgery. In addition to traditional cosmetic and filler work, she also assists with reconstructive work for breast cancer survivors.

Reconstructive Surgery

UTMB Health Nurse Practitioner Jill Resendez plays an important role in the lives of breast cancer survivors who opt for reconstructive services through the UTMB Health Division of Plastic Surgery.

To help bring closure to the journey these patients have undergone while fighting for their lives, Resendez offers nipple and areola tattooing services. The goal: help patients feel whole again.

Resendez had wanted to be a fashion designer. But watching her own mother fight and lose her own battle with breast cancer motivated the then high-school senior to go into health care. She got the idea to offer this service when she graduated as a nurse practitioner just as the world was shutting down due to COVID.

With traditional training programs on hold because of the pandemic, Resendez perfected her technique at a local tattoo shop during an eight-month apprenticeship before providing the service to patients. Today, she regularly has the privilege of closing the breast cancer chapter for UTMB Health breast reconstruction patients like Norma Garcia.

“I forget when I look in the mirror that there’s even reconstruction going on,” Garcia says. “She made me feel very whole.”

UTMB Health patient Christal Kuehler just reached what she calls the end of her journey this October, when Resendez completed her tattoos. Just before the procedure, Kuehler had only one thought. “I’m going to be complete,” she said.

After ignoring a lump in her breast that inevitably led to a double mastectomy, Tammi Moran is no longer pushing the snooze button on her health. Watch her share her story below with Meagan Clanahan of Houston Moms. A full story on Tammi is available at View the full story

Dr. Colleen Silva, professor and surgeon with UTMB’s Department of Surgery and medical director of UTMB's Breast Health and Imaging Center in League City.