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A Leg to Stand On
Rather than relying on the luck of the Irish, this Ocean Grove woman
turned to an orthopedics specialist at Jersey Shore University Medical Center
for her marching orders.
Maureen Peterson knows
something about big steps —
figurative and literal. "My greatgrandmother
was the first documented
immigrant to enter this country through
Ellis Island," Maureen says proudly.
"She arrived from Ireland on January 1,
1892, which we believe was her 15th
birthday. Her family then settled on
New York City’s Lower East Side."
Maureen has had to take rather
large steps of her own. A diabetic,
her big toe had to be amputated
in 1991, followed by the removal
of her left leg below the knee in
2000. A prosthesis allowed her
to get along fairly well afterward.
But then a few years ago, her right
knee started giving her tremendous
discomfort. "I’m only 62, but I had to walk hunched over with a cane
or use a wheelchair because of the
pain," she shares. "My kids and
husband hounded me to do something.
But I was afraid of the possibility of
another amputation and how that
might further reduce my ability to
get around. The more I put it off,
the worse it got, to the point of
being ridiculous."
Something Had to Be Done
Maureen finally called the
Orthopedic Institute of Central
Jersey. John Tozzi, M.D., and
the other physicians at the
practice were familiar to her,
since they had handled her
previous surgeries and
treatments. "It’s obvious how
much they care about their
patients and the services they
provide," she states. "I had
no doubts about going back
to them."
By the time Maureen saw
Dr. Tozzi, her knee had
become severely deformed
and was growing increasingly
unstable, as bone was hitting
on bone. As a result, the
danger of Maureen falling
was very real, which could
lead to other complications.
The knee obviously needed
replacement, but there were other
issues to address.
"Because of Maureen’s diabetic
history, we had to make sure that her
body would be able to handle the
replacement and the rehab," explains
Dr. Tozzi. "There was an increased
risk for infection, and brittle diabetics
(those who have difficulty stabilizing their blood glucose) often have
trouble getting wounds to properly
heal. Despite the high risks, we
decided together that the potential
benefit was worth it."
On the Move Again
Happily for Maureen, her surgery
went well. Although she still uses a
cane during rehabilitation, she says
that the improvement in her right
leg is "tremendous." Two months
after her surgery, the scar was
almost gone, and the pain is now
"just a distant memory." She adds,
"My mobility and independence
are back. I’m making steady
progress and becoming more
active and independent."
"From the beginning, our goal
was to provide Maureen with a safe
and stable extremity that would enable
her to ambulate without pain," clarifies
Dr. Tozzi. "It’s great to see a successful
procedure allowing her to resume
more of a normal life."
Maureen, who herself "immigrated"
to Ocean Grove in 1983 from the old
Lower East Side neighborhood, paid
a visit back to the city this past March
for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Rather
than watching the festivities, however,
she marched down Fifth Avenue
as an honored guest of the parade.
"My great-grandmother would
have been proud to see me in
this parade celebrating our heritage
and her achievement," she concludes.
"I didn’t want to be pushed in a
wheelchair. Dr. Tozzi made it possible
for me to stand tall not only that
day, but every day."
 – John Shaffer
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