Gina Bernitt

I was healthy and active when I slipped on ice and broke the bottom of my tibia in 2012. After that fracture healed, I realized that something was still very wrong with my ankle. I sought a new foot/ankle doctor who discovered that I had also injured my talus when I fell, resulting in a large OCD lesion on my talar dome where the cartilage was ruined. My local surgeon tried to repair my talus with microfracture drilling and implanting DeNovo juvenile cartilage. This attempt failed, and several months later, my talus lesion was even bigger (at least 13mm across) and my surgeon told me that my options were now very limited. This was one of the hardest times in my life. I was on the verge of depression and so scared, because I was faced with either fusion or ankle replacement. I knew that I did not want either of those drastic measures, so I started months of desperate research to find an alternative, which finally lead me to HSS, 3 hours away from my home. He convinced me that I was a good candidate for OATS surgery, which would salvage my damaged talus, and that he had a great rate of success for cases like mine. This option sounded too good to be true, but I put my faith with HSS, and went ahead with OATS surgery. That was 2 years ago, and I am so thankful to report that my ankle is now strong and pain-free once again! I consider it a miracle, and I am so grateful to HSS for their extraordinary care and expertise. (Here are some pictures of me from the past few months.)