You may be wondering, “why is he still writing about his darn shoulder surgery?”
Hey, it’s my blog and my shoulder, so I’m allowed to write about what I want.
In all seriousness, I have a reason for writing one more time about all of this. By the time you read this, I will have met with my surgeon for the six-month post-operative appointment. The only reason this appointment exists at all is because I was the recipient of an allograft, or graft of tissue from a deceased donor. This was done to strengthen the shoulder repair.
Lonzo and Me—What’s a few Hundred Million Between Friends?
Lonzo Ball, who plays for the Chicago Bulls, also had an allograft procedure with the same surgeon I did. Prior to his procedure,his injured knee just wasn’t responding to surgery, therapy, rest, or anything. It looked like his career was over.
Until he underwent an unprecedented surgery for a professional athlete—a full knee meniscus transplant using donor tissue. After much rehab, he was able to return to professional basketball, playing well this season when not suffering from other injuries, and rehabilitating his career. In fact, he recently met the donor’s family (the donor was a young athlete who died of suicide) in a touching full circle moment. It is acknowledged that Lonzo Ball is the very first professional athlete to return to playing after an allograft procedure.
So it works.
While for me this means I can return to opening bottles of wine, holding my dog’s leash, and other things, in Lonzo’s case it might mean a career continued where he can earn upwards of $30 million annually. He is currently in the midst of a four year $85 million dollar contract. The fact that the procedure worked is a BIG deal.
My Six Months
I have not been told exactly what will occur at this upcoming six month exam, but I presume they will need an MRI to see how the graft is healing. All I know is the once-injured shoulder is now pain-free and much stronger than the other one. If anything limits me, it’s fear that the left shoulder, which hasn’t been solidly healthy in several years, will tear. I lift weights cautiously, slowly, and with my fingers crossed (figuratively, not literally).
So far, so good.
Right before this appointment, my bicycle time trialing season began. I can report that the shoulder is totally healthy, strong, and pain-free. What I can also report is that having the first race of the year in crosswinds that exceeded 40 miles per hour and using a disc wheel was about the scariest thing I’ve ever done on a bike. I blew all the way across the road several times, once directly into oncoming traffic. In the second race, I had such a difficult time staying upright, I stopped racing in the “aero” time trial position with arms straight out in front of my face, and “sat up” and rode home easily. My shoulder is fine. I just need a less windy day to show what I can really do!
I have to give kudos to my surgeon (all you have to do is look up who did Lonzo’s surgery and you’ll know who it is) for doing a great job on the surgery. Yes, he does hundreds of these annually, and has probably performed more shoulder and knee surgeries than just about anyone. He’s good. Really good. And that’s why I wanted him to do the surgery. My body may be fragile and I may find creative ways to hurt myself regularly, but at least this right shoulder is as good as new, thanks to him.
Mixed Feelings?
As grateful as I am for the restoration of my shoulder function, I am also mindful that this benefit to me came at great cost to someone else. It’s true that my tissue donor would have died whether or not I had an allograft procedure. And while their family would surely prefer to have their loved one with them, I hope it eases their loss a little to know that their selfless donation is helping others. I wrote an anonymous letter of thanks to them; I felt it was the least that I could do.
Along the same lines, I have mixed feelings about my work as a personal injury and workers’ compensation attorney. Oh, I enjoy the challenge of the work, and I love helping my clients. But I never lose sight of the fact that in order for me to have work that lets me help people, someone had to get hurt in the first place. Yes, I know I didn’t cause those injuries, but I still wish they hadn’t happened. Given that they did, I’ll continue to concentrate on getting my clients fair compensation so they can move forward with their lives.
Life is not always all good or all bad. It’s complicated.
Takeaways
- Allograft procedures involved donor tissue from a cadaver.
- I have something in common with a famous athlete, but it’s not hundreds of millions of dollars.
- Allografts bring good results, but come from tragedy. It’s important not to lose sight of that.
Contact Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Stephen Hoffman
As in all cases involving personal injury, auto crashes, dog bites or injuries, workers’ compensation, medical malpractice, or other injury and potential liability, if you have been hit by a vehicle immediately get medical treatment, report the crash to police and your own insurance company, and contact a lawyer with expertise in your type of case, such as bicycle accidents or pedestrians hit by cars.
If you’ve been in an accident and have questions, contact Chicago personal injury attorney Stephen L. Hoffman for a free consultation at (773) 944-9737. Stephen has 35 years of legal experience and has collected millions of dollars for his clients. He is listed as a SuperLawyer, has a 10.0 rating on Avvo, and is BBB A+ accredited. He is also an Executive Level Member of the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce.
Stephen handles personal injury claims on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay anything up front, and he only gets paid if you do. Don’t wait another day; contact Stephen now.