Two parents from Northwest Indiana were told by doctors that their son likely would not walk for weeks following major reconstructive surgery—then came the following day.
Kaylee Maesch, 23, and Drey Devereaux, 29, braced themselves for the long recovery ahead following the procedure for their 19-month-old, Ashton, but less than 24 hours later, the toddler was already hobbling around on his cast.
Kaylee told Newsweek that Ashton was born with amniotic band syndrome, a condition which occurs when fibrous bands in the womb restrict development.
In his case, it affected three fingers on his right hand, his left ankle and four toes on his right foot.
At just three months old, he began receiving care at Shriners Children’s Hospital of Chicago, where a doctor recommended a surgery to release the remaining amniotic band on his ankle and reconstruct parts of his right hand.
“His surgeon told us that he may not be able to walk for the four weeks after his surgery until he got his casts off as finding balance on a cast can be extremely difficult,” Kaylee said.
The mom posted two clips on TikTok (@kayleemaesch) showing little Ashton defying all expectations. In the first, he runs carefree around the surgical unit before his operation, unaware of the challenges ahead.
The next clip shows Ashton upright and moving again—cast on his left leg, surgical recovery barely behind him.
“He figured out less than 24 hours after his surgery how to walk and almost run on his cast,” Kaylee said. “We knew he’d figure out how to walk eventually, but we were so shocked and impressed that he figured it out so quickly and with seemingly no difficulty.”
For Kaylee, the moment was remarkable, but not exactly surprising. “He’s the most determined kid and has never let amniotic band syndrome stop him before, and a couple bulky casts surely weren’t going to keep him down.”
The clip has been viewed 4.4 million times on TikTok. Other users couldn’t believe Ashton’s turnaround post-surgery.
“That baby has things to do,” one user joked.
“How come these children can recover like this meanwhile i pull a muscle in my back and I’m down for a week,” another said.
“He said, who won’t walk,” a third user laughed.
Kaylee added a disclaimer to her video, reassuring viewers that walking was safe for her son’s healing process.
Still, the response online has been overwhelming. “I didn’t post the video in hopes of going viral, more so for our friends and family that follow me,” Kaylee said.
“We already knew what a cool and resilient boy Ashton is, but it’s been really awesome to see how many people also think that of him and have found joy or humor in his video.”
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