Doctors Work to Restore a Man's Arm & Foot on the next "Miracle Workers"  3/14/06

DOCTORS WORK TO RESTORE ONE MAN'S ARM AND FOOT, AND GIVE HOPE TO A DANCER SIDELINED BY OSTEOARTHRITIS, ON ABC'S "MIRACLE WORKERS"

"Brown/Valentino" -- A housepainter who has lost use of both his arm and his foot and a former Broadway dancer sidelined by osteoarthritis in both hips turn to the medical dream team for help, on "Miracle Workers," airing MONDAY, MARCH 20 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Lake Worth, FL resident Jack Brown is a fun loving father of five. Early in his career, he lost an arm as a result of being electrocuted on the job. He then switched careers to house painting. On a recent job he slipped from a scaffold and shattered his heel. He has had surgeries on his heel, but is now dependent on a wheelchair. With five active and growing children, Jack and his wife are struggling to get by. They're on the verge of losing their home, but support from the community is helping to keep food on their table and make ends meet.

With advanced material that replaces skin, new technology may be able to repair Jack's shattered heel, and with one of the most innovative technologies in prosthetics, he may get back the use of an arm. If the "Miracle Worker" team is successful, Jack may once again be able to provide for his family as a whole man.

Miracle Worker regulars Redmond Burke, M.D. and Tamara Houston, R.N. worked with Dr. Jonathan M. Cutler, DPM, Diplomate of the American Board of Podiatric Surgery Board Certified Foot Surgery, Fellow, the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, and resident at Johns Hopkins, on Jack's case. Other members of the team are Phil Conley, Certified Prosthetist, Upper Extremity Specialist, and Stefan Knauss, Prosthetist.

Charles Valentino is a former Broadway dance star, now a dance teacher. His many years of performing have left him with osteoarthritis in both hips. His mobility has decreased to the point that he can barely walk, and is unable to teach his students the art of dancing. The 53-year-old lives in Los Angeles, where he stays with friends who are supporting him during his difficult time.

The "Miracle Workers" may be able to help Charles with a cutting edge computer-guided hip reconstruction that nearly eliminates misalignment, drastically cuts recovery time and could allow Charles to live his dream of teaching and dancing on Broadway once again.

Miracle Workers regular team members Billy Cohn, M.D. and Janna Bullock, R.N., M.S.N, worked with Lawrence D. Dorr, M.D., Medical Director of the Dorr Arthritis Institute at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, CA on Charles' case.

The regular "Miracle Workers" team will include lead doctors Redmond Burke, a pioneering cardiac surgeon who performed New England's first heart lung transplant on a child; Billy Cohn, a cardiovascular surgeon who has been called the "Thomas Edison" of heart surgery for his impressive list of inventions that have changed surgery techniques; UCLA Medical Center nurse Janna Bullock and McLennan Community Recovery RN Tamara Houston.

"Miracle Workers" is broadcast with Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning. This program carries a TV-PG parental guideline.

Source: ABC Press Release