Elijah Schultz was never supposed to throw touchdowns.
Born with amniotic band syndrome, he was missing a leg and most of his fingers. His adoptive family quickly realized he would face physical limitations that could narrow his world, but were unsure what options were available to their son.
Then, Elijah’s family discovered something extraordinary.
We were amazed to learn that one of the nation’s best hand surgeons was right here in Missouri.
Tobin Schultz, Elijah’s father
WashU Medicine’s Dr. Charles Goldfarb, a world-renowned orthopedic hand surgeon, performed a delicate surgery at St. Louis Children’s Hospital to separate fused fingers and give two-year-old Elijah use of his left hand.
As Elijah got older, despite physical therapy, nothing could stop his growing love for sports. When he began playing grade school sports in Joplin, MO, he became a starting quarterback, led his baseball team in home runs and RBIs and was even selected to play in a Missouri/Kansas All-State baseball showcase.
But then a football tackle threatened to undo years of progress.
Eight years after his initial surgery, Elijah was injured in a football game and found himself experiencing chronic pain afterward. Their search for surgical options led them back to Dr. Goldfarb, thanks to a referral from their pediatrician.
“We thought it was really special that this surgeon who took care of Elijah as a two-year-old came back into our lives when he was 10,” said Tobin. “Dr. Goldfarb’s commitment to health care access, his renowned ability as a hand surgeon and his passion for sports don’t just make him a great doctor — they make him the perfect doctor for Elijah.”
This time around, Dr. Goldfarb performed an additional corrective procedure to Elijah’s right hand, reconstructing the index and ring fingers to restore greater function.
The right surgeon. The right life-changing care. Twice in his life.
“Dr. Goldfarb is always there when I need him,” said Elijah. “After my 2022 surgery, he called after hours to check up on me to see how I was doing. To have a doctor care that much, it feels like I have a village around me that is always there for me.”
Now, at just 13, Elijah has completely rewritten his own story.
“I find it really ironic that he isn’t considered an able-bodied athlete. I think that Elijah is going to redefine what that means,” said Tobin. “Every time Elijah throws a touchdown or hits a home run, we know Dr. Goldfarb is a part of that story.”
Though Elijah often gets attention for his athleticism, his family is just as proud of who he has grown up to become off the field. Elijah is a straight-A student, the fastest typer in his class, a student council member and can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under 40 seconds.
“Elijah’s case perfectly reflects the mission of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, as well as the mission of WashU Medicine,” said Dr. Goldfarb. “It’s about defining a patient’s and family’s goals. It’s about optimizing function and appearance. It’s about relationships built over time. And if we can accomplish even one of those things, we’re typically happy. In Elijah’s case, we’ve been able to accomplish all of those goals in a really positive and endearing way.”
Elijah’s surgery experience is helping others off the field, too.
Through Dr. Goldfarb’s pioneering work with the Congenital Upper Limb Differences (CoULD) Registry, Elijah also became part of the growing effort to transform care for children with rare limb differences.
Co-founded by Dr. Goldfarb, the registry collects detailed information about how children with hand and arm differences grow, heal and function over time. By tracking outcomes from both surgical and non-surgical treatments, it gives doctors critical insights into conditions they may only see once in their careers — helping them make more informed decisions and improve care for future patients.
This allows Dr. Goldfarb to continue advancing medicine, while Elijah continues to break records and defy limitations.
Every surgery Dr. Goldfarb performs is backed by decades of research made possible by generous donor support. Through the Imagine a World Fund, supporters like you help turn that research into life-changing care.
Every medical discovery starts somewhere.
The next one could start with you.
Introducing the Imagine a World Fund — a new way for donors at any level to directly support the groundbreaking research happening at WashU Medicine. Join us in creating even more opportunities for patients to triumph over adversity by making a gift today.
