Aspiring skiing Olympian, Cathy Smithers, sustained multiple fractures to the tibia and fibula of her right leg before the age of 19 and forcing her to cease participating in the sport altogether or risk injury and never being able to walk again.
Cathy tried to keep a positive attitude after having to stop skiing and began working with special needs children—but she continued to experience pain in her ankle that progressively got worse as she got older. Smithers consulted with multiple doctors until she scheduled an appointment with Dr. Steven Haddad of IBJI in Glenview, Ill. Dr. Haddad rebuilt her foot and performed a total ankle replacement. Smithers is now able to return to the slopes 50 years later and ski with her grandchildren.
The opinions of Dr. Haddad and Cathy Smithers are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Wright Medical.
Any results are specific to this particular individual only. Individual results and activity levels after surgery vary and depend on many factors including age, weight and prior activity level. There are risks and recovery times associated with surgery and there are certain individuals who should not undergo surgery.
