Orthopaedic Surgery
Zac
Zac was born with a rare bone deformity that caused his legs to bow and his feet to point inward. His parents knew that someday he would need complex surgery to straighten his legs. When Zac was 14 they interviewed several surgeons, and found Joshua Hyman, MD. "He was the first one I felt comfortable with," said Zac.
The procedure involved an osteotemy and external fixators -- "basically they cut my leg in half and put it back together," explained Zac. Zac was out of school for seven weeks during his freshman year to have the right leg done first, and missed six weeks from his sophomore year to fix the left leg. Missing school, missing swim team practice, and wearing a metal fixator that "looks like something alien" was not the usual teenage experience.
But the outcome was worth the pain. Zac is now getting back on track as a normal teenager with two straight legs.
