Most 13-year-olds are able to be as active and rambunctious as they please, completely carefree. The last thing on their minds is the possibility of somehow seriously injuring themselves.

But it’s on Isabel’s mind. In her 13 years of life, Isabel has experienced 65 broken bones, and knows she will break more. She has Brittle Bones Disease, a type of genetic disorder characterized by bones that break easily, often from little or no apparent cause. However, none of that stops her from doing what she’s passionate about.

Isabel loves to dance. And, she’s good at it. She is a competition dancer in hip-hop, clogging and ballet and doesn’t let her condition keep her from becoming her best. She is an inspiration to everyone who knows her, and insists on sharing her experiences with others. She’ll tell them, “My bones are easily broken, but my spirit is unbreakable.”

Whenever she breaks a bone, her mother Vicky makes sure Isabel recites their family motto: “We can get through anything as long as we’re together.” This mantra has carried them through every fracture and over every obstacle Isabel’s faced.

Through the years and the many broken bones, Isabel has received a vast amount of care from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, beginning with her birth when she was born with a broken leg. Because Vicky was so impressed with the exceptional treatment her daughter has received from the hospital, she decided to look into employment opportunities for herself. That was in February 2014. Today, Vicky is a Clinical Nurse Leader in the Emergency Department.

“Nationwide Children’s has always felt like home to us. Isabel claims it as ‘her hospital.’ They’ve always done everything they can to help her feel empowered and that this disease does not define her,” says Vicky.

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• Name: Isabel S.Isabel Smeltzer
• Condition(s): Osteogenesis Imperfecta
• Age Today: 08/06/200419 Years

Most 13-year-olds are able to be as active and rambunctious as they please, completely carefree. The last thing on their minds is the possibility of somehow seriously injuring themselves.

But it’s on Isabel’s mind. In her 13 years of life, Isabel has experienced 65 broken bones, and knows she will break more. She has Brittle Bones Disease, a type of genetic disorder characterized by bones that break easily, often from little or no apparent cause. However, none of that stops her from doing what she’s passionate about.

Isabel loves to dance. And, she’s good at it. She is a competition dancer in hip-hop, clogging and ballet and doesn’t let her condition keep her from becoming her best. She is an inspiration to everyone who knows her, and insists on sharing her experiences with others. She’ll tell them, “My bones are easily broken, but my spirit is unbreakable.”

Whenever she breaks a bone, her mother Vicky makes sure Isabel recites their family motto: “We can get through anything as long as we’re together.” This mantra has carried them through every fracture and over every obstacle Isabel’s faced.

Through the years and the many broken bones, Isabel has received a vast amount of care from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, beginning with her birth when she was born with a broken leg. Because Vicky was so impressed with the exceptional treatment her daughter has received from the hospital, she decided to look into employment opportunities for herself. That was in February 2014. Today, Vicky is a Clinical Nurse Leader in the Emergency Department.

“Nationwide Children’s has always felt like home to us. Isabel claims it as ‘her hospital.’ They’ve always done everything they can to help her feel empowered and that this disease does not define her,” says Vicky.