My whole life, I have been physically active in one way or another. I started out playing sports, moved to dancing 4-5 hours per day in high school and college, and then started distance running after that. I had just run my first marathon, qualifying for Boston in the process, when I realized I was not recovering the way I was supposed to. It had been two weeks and I could hardly run. Luckily, I was already going to Panorama Physical Therapy for a foot injury and during an appointment, my PT noticed a catching issue and recommended I try to get imaging done. He thought it would be diagnosed as a torn labrum. I went to Dr. Ellman's team the next week and found out I had bilateral hip dysplasia and suspected bilateral labrum tears. When the provider told me about the PAO surgery, I was incredibly intimidated. I had 3 kids (5, 3, 1.5) and the idea of being out of commission for 6 weeks seemed impossible. Over the course of the next month while I waited for my MRI, my mobility deteriorated rapidly. It got to the point that I couldn't reliably stand at the kitchen counter making dinner without my leg buckling due to the pain. I avoided picking up my 1.5 year old, and I had a hard time playing with my kids at all. I finally got the MRI, had my pre-op appointment, and got cortisone injections to help with the pain. That same day, I got a call from the scheduler saying they'd had a cancellation and could put me on the schedule in 4 weeks. It was fast, but by that point I was ready to start the long road to being out of pain.I remember two weeks before surgery, I was walking into my closet when I felt my hip slip out of the joint and come back in--such a strange feeling, but it confirmed that there was no stability in that hip and that I needed the surgery. The surgery went great, and I honestly did not feel much post-op pain--I know that not all patients are that lucky. I did have issues with low blood pressure and passing out, but I got to go home and improved fairly quickly. The hardest part was not dealing with the pain of recovery, but the frustration of not being able to do things myself. And the knowledge that I needed to do it again. Now, I am slowly making my way back to distance running (after recently having my 4th baby!) and thrilled to have no hip pain.For any other parents considering the surgery--I was blown away by how much my community rallied around me and helped to take care of my kids. Yes, it was an adjustment and it was hard not being able to play with my kids in the way I was used to. I had the second surgery three months after the first, and once again my community rallied. My oldest child had the hardest adjustment and it took a few months of extra love following the second surgery to get to a place where my child felt confident that mom wasn't going anywhere. I won't lie and say everything is fine and easy, but I will testify that we all survived and now that I am 13 months post-op from the second surgery, my kids are all healthy and thriving. It was absolutely a difficult and painful window, but I am so grateful that now I am able to chase my kids in a game of tag, race against them while they ride bikes, and get down on the floor to play. Grateful for Doctors Ellman and Patel and their teams!