SHERIDAN - Thanks to the determination of a Sheridan orthopedic surgeon and the generosity of Sheridan's health care community, a 4-year-old girl from Kosovo has a chance to walk without pain.

Eranda Raifi arrived in Sheridan recently with her mother, Zyhrije, and underwent surgery last week for developmental dysplasia of the hips, a condition for her where the left hip is not in the joint.

The condition has led to one of Eranda's legs being longer than the other and is causing an abnormal gait, said Dr. Brent Milner of Sheridan, who coordinated the surgery.

Dr. John Ritterbusch, a Sheridan orthopedic surgeon who specializes in pediatric cases, performed the procedure, assisted by Milner.

"She's not in pain right now, but the issue is long-term," Milner explained before the surgery. "She's set up to have early arthritis and knee and leg problems as she gets older."

While serving in the Army Reserve in Kosovo last spring, Milner helped set in motion Eranda's journey to the United States. The girl was brought to the military base by her mother and aunt, who were desperately seeking medical care for the child.

It's not uncommon for locals to show up on the base seeking care, Milner said, but most children were seen by surgeons or primary-care specialists.

In this case, Milner saw an opportunity to help and understood that Eranda had no chance of receiving corrective surgery in Kosovo.

"Of the children I saw, generally the problem wasn't of this magnitude," Milner said. "It's a big issue, it's her whole life and she's 4. There's not many kids that walk in that I can do something about."

After taking a new set of X-rays of Eranda, Milner e-mailed them to a pediatric orthopedist in Kansas City, Mo., who agreed that Eranda was a good candidate for corrective surgery. The next challenge was to get the girl and her family to the United States and find a way to pay for the procedure, which was well beyond the reach of the family.

Milner estimated the cost of the surgery at $70,000, including the hospital stay, anesthesia, surgical fees and hardware that needs to be implanted.

In his quest for funding, Milner was referred to Cerner, a medical records processing company that operates the nonprofit First Hand Foundation, which provides grants for charitable care. It awarded him about $10,000.

"I looked high and low and couldn't find any other additional funding," Milner said.

He decided to look locally, turning to his associate, Ritterbusch, a specialist who has performed the procedure many times. Ritterbusch agreed to donate his services for Eranda's case.

Slowly, things began falling into place for Eranda, as other members of the Sheridan health care community stepped forward to offer services.

Sheridan Anesthesia Associates agreed to waive its professional fees, while the Synthes Corp., a maker of orthopedic implants, agreed to provide the necessary hardware at no charge.

Eventually, Milner asked Sheridan Memorial Hospital Chief Executive Officer Mike McCafferty if the hospital would donate the operating room time and support staff for the procedure. McCafferty approached the hospital board, which supported the idea.

"The board is familiar with what Dr. Milner does for our country, and they saw it as an opportunity to work with him and do everything we can to make it happen," McCafferty said.

"It's someone who doesn't have the resources in their country, and we wanted to support a local physician in making this happen."

In addition to arranging the charity care, Milner also confronted an obstacle in getting Eranda and her mother into the United States, a daunting task due to heightened U.S. border security. He approached his civil-affairs officer, Lt. Col. Scott Simmons, while still in Kosovo.

Simmons had a contact at the U.S. Embassy in Macedonia (the United States has no embassy in Kosovo) and arranged for the Raifis to obtain passports and medical visas.

"We had to use the local police to track the family down," Milner said. "Col. Simmons actually gave them the news it was going to happen, and they were very excited and very grateful."

Eranda and her mother speak no English and needed to be housed in Sheridan for the six weeks required for recovery. When Milner stood up at First Presbyterian Church on a Sunday morning and asked for volunteers to house the family, Robert and Victoria Milne immediately stepped forward.

The Milnes offered to house the Raifis for their entire stay in Sheridan, while other members of the church are providing meals and support.

Milner called the community response incredible.

Before the surgery, Ritterbusch and Milner examined Eranda for a preoperative visit using an Albanian-English dictionary to communicate with the girl's mother.

During the operation, Ritterbusch deepened and reoriented the cup that holds Eranda's femur (leg bone) into place so that the ball at the head of the femur fits into the cup.

"The only reason Eranda's here is because Dr. Ritterbusch is here," Milner said. "The prognosis for her is very good, assuming the hip stays in place."

Eranda will be in a cast from the waist down for six weeks to allow the hip to heal. Milner modestly refused to take credit for coordinating Eranda's medical gift and said he's just pleased with the community's willingness to support a family with little means from halfway around the world.

"I did almost nothing, I made phone calls and talked to people," Milner said. ""It's impressive to me that it came together and no one hesitated. Everyone said, 'If you get the kid here, we'll get it taken care of.' "