Kaitlyn Avery with some of her artwork. Kaitlyn Avery with some of her artwork. Kaitlyn Avery, granddaughter of Hot Springs Village residents Sue and Bill Avery, has just finished a successful run of the play Steel Magnolias in Roseville, Calif., where she played the part of Shelby.
Kaitlyn has another connection with the Village. When she was 13, she tore the growth plate in her right leg while jumping on a trampoline.
She was told that without special surgery, her leg would never grow and she would forever have a very noticeable limp. Her parents contacted her grandparents in the Village and asked if they could put them in touch with someone connected with the Shriners Hospital.
Kaitlyn’s doctor had advised them they were probably the only ones who could help her. Sue called Village resident, Lloyd Swan, a long time member of the Shriners organization, who in turn contacted Carl Gann.
Together, they found a fellow Shriner in San Francisco, who called Kaitlyn’s parents with instructions as to what they needed to do to get her into the Shriners Children’s Hospital in Sacramento. She underwent surgery on her injured leg and later, both legs had to have surgery in order to assure the same rate of growth in both legs.
Today, Kaitlyn is a petite young woman of 21 and is enjoying a healthy life, free of any signs of her ordeal except the faded scars on her legs.
She has been acting since high school, when she was told she must choose another elective subject instead of her first choice of physical education class, and she chose acting.
After moving from Santa Rosa to Roseville, California, she joined the Civic Theater West. She has done such plays as A Chorus Line, Oliver, Inherit the Wind, Sessical and Macbeth.
She has also directed plays as well as acted as stage manager, set decorator and scenic designer. Her grandmother, Sue flew to Roseville in July to surprise Kaitlyn on the opening night of Steel Magnolias. The play received outstanding reviews. Kaitlyn will direct the next play The Drowsy Chaperone.
When not involved with community theater, Kaitlyn paints, works as a nanny and attends Sierra College in Rockland. She plans to major in pediatric nursing.
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