Kirstin struggled with a debilitating knee condition for many years, made more challenging by her active job as a nurse at Shriner?s Hospital in Chicago.?Though she underwent several different treatments for her knee, her pain persisted. She received an osteochondral allograft transplant in 2015 and is now able to continue helping patients heal.?She recently shared her story in her own words and discussed how grateful she is for the gift she received.?Read her story here.
Kirsten?s transplant surgeon,?Brian J. Cole, MD, MBA, is a?Professor in the Department of Orthopedics with a conjoint appointment in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, Chairman of Surgery at?Rush Oak Park Hospital,?head of the world?s most active Cartilage Research and Restoration Center specializing in alternatives to joint replacement for arthritis, and?Team physician for the Chicago Bulls, Chicago White Sox and DePaul University.
Dr. Cole discusses?medical decision-making and treating patients in the video below:
Please see more powerful recipient and donor stories here.
Read about Ironman triathlete, Gregg Szilagyi?s cartilage replacement surgery, also performed by Dr. Cole here.
April was?Donate Life Month. Don?t forget that tissue donation is every bit as important as organ donation. You have the opportunity to donate quality of life and/or life just by signing up to be a donor.?If you haven?t signed up yet, now would be a very good time.
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