BMH, doctor offer free surgeries
Just before Thanksgiving, two residents received the gift of new joints for free.
Shane Duncan of Butler received a total left hip replacement and Jim Thompson of Butler received a right knee replacement. Both surgeries took place Nov. 24 at Butler Memorial Hospital.
The surgeries were a joint effort among the hospital, Dr. Thomas Muzzonigro and Operation Walk USA, which is a humanitarian organization that gives free hip or knee replacements.
“It's probably the nicest thing I do every year,” said Muzzonigro, who did the surgeries.
BMH is the only hospital in Western Pennsylvania to participate in the program this year. This is the third year the program took place there.
In 2010, Muzzonigro had wanted to go to Haiti after an earthquake that was estimated to have killed 100,000 to 160,000 people to help. However, he was unable to go. Then he heard about Operation Walk USA.
“It was my way of being able to get involved,” Muzzonigro said.
Patients come from the Community Health Clinic of Butler. Only two patients are selected per year.
“It's a nice safety net, I'd say, for the people of Butler,” Muzzonigro said.
Each surgery took about 60 to 90 minutes.
Duncan, 29, was suffering from dysplasia and rheumatoid arthritis. He also had a type of osteoporosis.He had worked in restaurant management, but was forced to quit in September because of pain. He said he sometimes would have problems walking.“Mobility was pretty limited,” Duncan said.He also had trouble doing activities like rappelling, canoeing and hiking. He had to stop doing those about two years ago.“I love the outdoors,” Duncan said.He could not afford medical insurance due to his bills so he went to the health clinic to get checked out.Muzzonigro looked at his hip and told Duncan he could fix it.“It was a lucky situation,” Duncan said.His recovery time will be six to eight weeks. Duncan said he will go back to work and do more outdoor activities.Thompson, 54, of Butler said he did not have really serious mobility problems.“I pretty much got around normally,” Thompson said.But, he said if he twisted his knee or was walking on an uneven surface, he could experience problems. He works in the warehouse at Hearth and Home Furnishings, and also finishes concrete.Thompson said he would feel pain in his knee after work sometimes.His issues began about eight years ago, when he injured his knee falling off a pickup truck. He has had several surgeries since then.Thompson recently went to the health clinic to see if there was anything it could do. There he was told about the Operation Walk program.“I said, sign me up,” Thompson said.His recovery time will be two to three months. When he is fully recovered, he said he wants to go back to running, playing volleyball and hunting, activities that he really has not been able to do.
