We are educating the Kenyan orthopedic surgeons who are eager to learn and very capable of doing these surgeries. With a little more experience, they will be able to perform these surgeries on a regular basis. With help from these physicians, we per...

June 13, 2013 - We are educating the Kenyan orthopedic surgeons who are eager to learn and very capable of doing these surgeries. With a little more experience, they will be able to perform these surgeries on a regular basis. With help from these physicians, we performed the first ever arthroscopic shoulder stabilization surgery on a rugby player in Kenya! We also performed an ACL patellar tendon auto graft at a Kijabe hospital. This surgery is rarely done in Kenya.

The Kenyans are warm and loving people. Its the simple things that make a difference in this country. They are so appreciative of our help. But we are the biggest winners because we have made new friends. They have touched our lives forever. Kyle, Ethan and I look forward to sharing our experience with others when we return.

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My son Ethan started working in a village to build a "Choo", which is Swahili for bathroom. He is helping dig a 30-foot hole and building a cinder block building around it for an over-crowded village.

Kyle inventoried all of the medica...

June 10, 2013 - My son Ethan started working in a village to build a "Choo", which is Swahili for bathroom. He is helping dig a 30-foot hole and building a cinder block building around it for an over-crowded village.

Kyle inventoried all of the medical supplies we brought. There were a total of 12 duffle bags.

I gave four lectures this morning and saw about 50 patients. Over the next couple of days, we have 15 surgeries scheduled. Many of the patients are athletes with ACL injuries or shoulder instabilities.

After only being here a short time, I can see the huge need for our presence. The students are very eager to learn and so far it has been a great experience.

Examining a Kenyan who will need surgery

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Visitor Comments:

Wonderful work by Dr. Cole and team!

Andrea

After 18 hours of travel, Kyle, Ethan, and I are safely in Nairobi, Kenya. Tomorrow we will be heading by car to Kijabe, a village that is at an elevation over 7000 feet. We will meet the five doctors that run the hospital as well as five residents w...

June 9, 2013 - After 18 hours of travel, Kyle, Ethan, and I are safely in Nairobi, Kenya. Tomorrow we will be heading by car to Kijabe, a village that is at an elevation over 7000 feet. We will meet the five doctors that run the hospital as well as five residents who are on staff there.

We plan to do inventory and prep work tomorrow. There are 40+ patients allegedly waiting for us to see them during Monday's clinic. We will perform surgery the rest of the week and have access to two rooms, which will allow us to get a good amount of work done.

Kyle and I are excited to get things started, and enjoying every moment of being here. Time will surely go by very quickly.

Thanks again to everyone who helped to make this trip possible!

Dr. Tim Mead, from Muskegon MI, myself, Peter "Chalo", and Ethan

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I'm leaving for Kijabe, Kenya, with my 14-year old son, Ethan, and my physician assistant Kyle Pilz.

We are carrying more than 500 pounds of equipment donated by medical device and surgical supply companies. We will perform surgery on...

June 8, 2013 - I'm leaving for Kijabe, Kenya, with my 14-year old son, Ethan, and my physician assistant Kyle Pilz.

We are carrying more than 500 pounds of equipment donated by medical device and surgical supply companies. We will perform surgery on injured athletes from Africa who otherwise have limited or no access to care and educate doctors there about the latest sports medicine techniques used in the U.S. The 10-day mission trip is in collaboration with Cure International, a network of charitable hospitals and surgical programs that deliver life-changing medical care to families with treatable conditions.

We are lucky to live in the U.S., a country that provides quality healthcare to everyone. I look forward to providing care to those who arent so lucky and to make a difference in their lives. I hope to leave behind a legacy of sports medicine trained physicians who will continue to change lives in Kenya.

Kyle, myself, and Ethan at O'Hare before our flight to Kenya

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Visitor Comments:

We are fortunate to have dedicated people like you.

Swim Across America is a fundraiser for cancer that has been around for 26 years. The Chicago event is 20 years old. It was started by Olympic Swimmers who wanted to pay it forward....for cancer research. The unique part of this event is that the mon...

May 10, 2013 - Swim Across America is a fundraiser for cancer that has been around for 26 years. The Chicago event is 20 years old. It was started by Olympic Swimmers who wanted to pay it forward....for cancer research. The unique part of this event is that the monies raised locally stay local. Last year Rush University Medical Center was designated as the recipient of the fundraiser. Last year was my first year as a swimmer and captain. This year we merged the Rush Team and the MOR team. Last year the event raised $286,000 and our Magnificent MOR Team raised $144,000 of that amount. This year our goal for the team and the entire event is to raise MORE, MORE, MORE.

The event is amazing. It is held at Ohio Street Beach. This year it is on July 20. It is non-competitive. There are options to swim half a mile or one mile or a mile and a half or three miles. The first leg of the swim is right in front of the beach.....nice and shallow!!!!! There are pool swims if you want to swim without the fish. There are Olympic Swimmers who swim literally right next to you. They bring their Olympic medals for photo ops and autographs. There are average or weak swimmers like me. There are Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush patients who are cancer survivors. There are Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush patients who have healed from other orthopedic procedures. EVERYONE can be a swimmer if they want....perfect warm up swim for those who are going to do the Triathlon.

Interested????? Join our team  go to the Swim Across America Chicago Website....our team is The Cancer Center and the Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush Team. Then start fundraising!!!!! Want to stay on the beach and volunteer....register as a volunteer and email Elise Loversky, Dr. Fernandez's surgical coordinator. She was one of our amazing volunteers last year. Out of town or just not a swimmer....DONATE to our team. You can make a difference!!! And sadly cancer touches all of us....even our Midwest Family....let's get rid of it.

- Patti Piasecki

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The sun continues to shine with the temperature slowly warming into the 60's. Drs. Weber, Hennessey, and I continue to see major and minor league players who come into camp. The big news of the day was John Danks throwing off the mound with his surgi...

February 14, 2013 - The sun continues to shine with the temperature slowly warming into the 60's. Drs. Weber, Hennessey, and I continue to see major and minor league players who come into camp. The big news of the day was John Danks throwing off the mound with his surgically repaired shoulder. A large media contingent was present with cameras rolling. John looked great, showing all the signs of a good recovery progressing as per plan. Position players report on Sunday and the real action begins.

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Cool but the sun is still shining bright. Work outs went well today and several of the minor league players have come in for physicals. Those recovering from off season surgery are the biggest challenge. Baseball injuries that require surgery often r...

February 13, 2013 - Cool but the sun is still shining bright. Work outs went well today and several of the minor league players have come in for physicals. Those recovering from off season surgery are the biggest challenge. Baseball injuries that require surgery often require extended rehabilitation and time before a player hits his full stride. Long days with lots of player activity but optimism remains high. Young players hope to challenge roster spots and move closer to the major league club. Big news is John Danks throwing off the mound tomorrow in front of all the Chicago's media.

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The first day of spring training is always exciting. Although we start at 5:30 am, the energy level is high despite the cool desert air. Pitchers, catchers, and coaches are put through a battery of tests including physical exams, blood and urine test...

February 12, 2013 - The first day of spring training is always exciting. Although we start at 5:30 am, the energy level is high despite the cool desert air. Pitchers, catchers, and coaches are put through a battery of tests including physical exams, blood and urine testing, EKGs, and in many cases cardiac ultrasounds. So far this year, all the players look good and excited for the upcoming season. The position players will filter in during the week and many of the minor league mini-camp players will get the same treatment. By 3:30 in the afternoon, our work is done and time to relax. We get up early again tomorrow and do it again.

Dr. Nikhil Verma; Dr. Joseph Hennessy; Dr. Charles Bush-Joseph; Dr. Kathy Weber	Dr. Nikhil Verma working with Sox player at Spring Training in Glendale, Arizona
Dr. Charles Bush-Joseph with Chicago White Sox Starting Pitcher Gavin Floyd at Spring Training in Glendale, Arizona	Dr. Gregory Nicholson with Sox relief pitchers Matt Thornton and Addison Reed
Chicago White Sox Medical Staff with Sox Manager Robin Ventura L/R: Dr. Hennessy; Dr. Verma; Robin Ventura; Dr. Weber and Dr. Bush-Joseph

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It is virtually impossible to receive a hip or knee implant in these countries. So when these patients who have struggled for so long are walking again, it is an emotional and rewarding experience for them and for us. It's a wonderful feeling to prov…

February 1, 2013 - It is virtually impossible to receive a hip or knee implant in these countries. So when these patients who have struggled for so long are walking again, it is an emotional and rewarding experience for them and for us. It's a wonderful feeling to provide them with a new lease on life.

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Thursday and Friday we will round in the morning, checking on folks to make sure all is stable prior to our departure on Saturday.

January 31, 2013 - Thursday and Friday we will round in the morning, checking on folks to make sure all is stable prior to our departure on Saturday.

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