thedrifter
04-17-07, 02:11 PM
Marine Undergoes Nerve Replacement Surgery
More soldiers and Marines than ever before are returning home from war injured, and many of those injuries will stay with them for life.
NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported Tuesday that for one young Marine from Litchfield, N.H., hat wasn't good enough. Hurt in Iraq, he came home and took his healing into his own hands.
Marine Sgt. Thomas Simard's life changed in an instant. Six months ago, he was in Fallujah when his Humvee came under attack.
"I got hit by a .122 mm mortar. I caught shrapnel in my thigh. Most of it got stuck in my femur. A couple of pieces went straight through," Simard said.
Even though the blast was just feet away from him, Simard stayed conscious through it all, but he did not escape unscathed.
"As soon as I got hit I just felt my leg spasm. And then I couldn't move it. I thought it was just because I was in shock," Simard said.
The shrapnel had severed Simard's sciatic nerve. He couldn't feel anything below his knee. He couldn't move his foot, and his doctor told him that would never change. Frustrated and determined, the 22-year-old Marine turned to his computer.
"I found an article on the interview about an Army guy that he had done surgery on before. And I just talked to my doctors, and basically, just made him send me there," Simard said.
The online search at home in New Hampshire led Simard to Dr. Allen Belzberg -- one of a few surgeons in the country who can transplant nerves from a healthy body part to an injured one.
"Our experience is over the years, if you repeatedly injure yourself because you don't have sensation, one of those injuries will become serious, and at that point, often people will lose their foot," Belzberg said.
It's an online connection they're both thankful for.
"The Internet has been a very powerful tool for patients around the world. And it's very nice to see people taking responsibility for their health," Belzberg said.
Belzberg took nerves from the healthy leg and arms to reconstruct the sciatic nerve, which they said is about as big around as a power cord. If all goes well, Simard should be able to feel and move his foot by this time next year.
Ellie
More soldiers and Marines than ever before are returning home from war injured, and many of those injuries will stay with them for life.
NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported Tuesday that for one young Marine from Litchfield, N.H., hat wasn't good enough. Hurt in Iraq, he came home and took his healing into his own hands.
Marine Sgt. Thomas Simard's life changed in an instant. Six months ago, he was in Fallujah when his Humvee came under attack.
"I got hit by a .122 mm mortar. I caught shrapnel in my thigh. Most of it got stuck in my femur. A couple of pieces went straight through," Simard said.
Even though the blast was just feet away from him, Simard stayed conscious through it all, but he did not escape unscathed.
"As soon as I got hit I just felt my leg spasm. And then I couldn't move it. I thought it was just because I was in shock," Simard said.
The shrapnel had severed Simard's sciatic nerve. He couldn't feel anything below his knee. He couldn't move his foot, and his doctor told him that would never change. Frustrated and determined, the 22-year-old Marine turned to his computer.
"I found an article on the interview about an Army guy that he had done surgery on before. And I just talked to my doctors, and basically, just made him send me there," Simard said.
The online search at home in New Hampshire led Simard to Dr. Allen Belzberg -- one of a few surgeons in the country who can transplant nerves from a healthy body part to an injured one.
"Our experience is over the years, if you repeatedly injure yourself because you don't have sensation, one of those injuries will become serious, and at that point, often people will lose their foot," Belzberg said.
It's an online connection they're both thankful for.
"The Internet has been a very powerful tool for patients around the world. And it's very nice to see people taking responsibility for their health," Belzberg said.
Belzberg took nerves from the healthy leg and arms to reconstruct the sciatic nerve, which they said is about as big around as a power cord. If all goes well, Simard should be able to feel and move his foot by this time next year.
Ellie