DADE CITY – For years, 12-year-old Adeline thought struggling to breathe through her nose was normal. Chronic congestion made singing, acting and talking difficult until an orthodontic scan led her family to AdventHealth and a diagnosis that changed her life.
“Adeline always was a stuffy child,” said her mother, Courtney Burgess. “I assumed it was allergies. She pretty much lived on allergy medicine, and she just always sounded like she had a stuffy nose.”
During a routine orthodontic visit, imaging revealed that Adeline’s nasal passages were obstructed. The orthodontist recommended her family consult an ear, nose and throat specialist.
Dr. Joseph Derbyshire, an AdventHealth ENT and facial plastics specialist, evaluated Adeline. Derbyshire determined that surgery could help improve Adeline’s breathing, so she underwent removal of her adenoids and reduction of her turbinates, or the structures inside the nose that can contribute to congestion and impaired airflow.
“For most pediatric patients, the adenoids are one of the biggest sources of nasal obstruction,” Derbyshire said. “They are located at the back of the nose, where they can be difficult to see, but they can contribute to chronic congestion and sinus problems.”
Adeline reported a significant improvement just weeks after surgery.
“Before, I thought singing and acting and talking were hard, but now it’s so easy,” she said. “I’m able to breathe normally, and singing has changed so much. I’m able to hit the high notes that I’ve always wanted to hit but that I was never able to before.”
At a follow-up appointment, Adeline demonstrated her renewed range by singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” hitting high notes she once struggled to reach.
“It’s so nice to know now that if I ever go out for a role with a really high song, I could get it,” she said.
