Ryan Smith is 8 years old, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 10 months old, and four years later underwent a delicate spine surgery at Texas Children's Hospital that let her stand flat-footed for the first time. Today she's a fixture on Friday nights at Morton Ranch High School, where her father Tyler Smith serves as offensive coordinator and where she's been welcomed into the cheerleading family on the sidelines.
Ryan's mobility issues once limited her ability to join in dance and cheer, according to Click2Houston. That changed after her 2022 surgery, performed at age four by Dr. Nisha Gadgil, a Texas Children's physician who serves as Director of Pediatric Neurosurgical Movement Disorders at the hospital and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Baylor College of Medicine, according to Texas Children's Hospital. Gadgil, who completed her neurosurgery residency at Baylor and her pediatric neurosurgery fellowship at Texas Children's, brings more than 12 years of specialized experience treating pediatric movement disorders, per the hospital's provider profile.
The procedure itself targeted nerve roots in Ryan's lower back through a tiny incision, with Gadgil cutting rootlets within the spinal canal, the Click2Houston report details. Separately, selective dorsal rhizotomy is a permanent operation that severs targeted sensory nerve rootlets in the lower spine to ease muscle spasticity. About 80% of cerebral-palsy cases are spastic cerebral palsy, according to Cerebral Palsy Guide; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls cerebral palsy the most common motor disability in childhood.
A Surgery Years in the Making
Getting to that operating room wasn't simple. Ryan's mother, Savannah Smith, said the surgery took nine months to schedule, and the same report notes problems arose a week before the procedure, with a new surgical team stepping in just one day beforehand. Despite the late changes, the surgery was successful, and Ryan completed rehabilitation afterward that allowed her to stand flat-footed.
Research has explored selective dorsal rhizotomy and physical therapy for children with cerebral palsy. Ryan underwent rehabilitation after surgery.
Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy
Ryan was four when she underwent the procedure. A study spanning five hospitals also examined selective dorsal rhizotomy. Texas Children's has performed selective dorsal rhizotomy procedures.
The hospital has also pushed the technique toward less invasive territory. Texas Children's has developed a minimally invasive focal SDR approach to target spasticity, which can be performed alongside orthopedic surgery.
Finding a Second Family on the Sidelines
Today, Ryan is thriving and enjoying childhood, according to Click2Houston. She told the outlet she feels loved by the people on the field and likes being out there with them, and she's a regular presence at Morton Ranch football game nights with her family, joining the cheerleading squad she was welcomed into. Her father described her resilience in blunt terms, saying Ryan is stronger than people can imagine because of what she's endured.
Morton Ranch High School, established in 2004 within Katy Independent School District, is a Class 6A school in unincorporated Harris County serving more than 2,800 students, according to information compiled by Wikipedia. Morton Ranch's coach has described the team as a blend of experience and young talent, according to Katy Independent School District. That community backdrop has only grown this year: Katy ISD opens enrollment to outsiders through a new limited open-enrollment program launched in August 2026, allowing up to 1,000 out-of-district transfer students across the district's 10 high schools for the 2026-2027 school year.
For the Smith family, the embrace of Ryan's health journey has become part of the Morton Ranch football routine itself, with the family attending Friday night games together as Ryan takes her place among the cheer squad she now calls her own.
