Hi, my name is Henry. This is my story about being diagnosed with a disease in my hip called Legg Calve Perthes Disease. I was diagnosed in third grade, I was eight years old. Perthes is a disease that kills the hip bone and causes the bone to become mushy, walking can destroy the hip. The doctor who diagnosed me caught it very early, so there was not a lot of damage done to the hip.  I was taken down to a hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The doctor there took great care of me. She told me what I had to do to keep my hip safe. After this journey had started there was no turning around. I learned there were four stages ahead. First, the hip would die. Second, I experienced the hardest and longest part of this disease; no walking, no running, and no jumping. Third, the bone starts regrowing and I could start walking again. Finally, the fourth stage is the best. Once I was finally free, I could start my regular activities again. Sometimes I felt left out, so I found ways to do a lot of things with crutches and even in my wheelchair. My dad taught me how to do wheelies in my wheelchair and everyone thought it was really cool and wanted to learn too. Even though it was hard, I still found a way and now I am able to do what I did before Perthes.