Myra Hanners, a 64-year-old Brunswick native, has lived with pain for most
of her life. Born with a right foot that has only three toes and an ankle
with missing bone, she underwent many experimental surgeries at a medical
center in Augusta when she was a young girl.
Despite the surgeries, Myra's pain continued and in recent years became
much worse. "My poor ankle had gotten so bad that I couldn't
even walk on it when I got up in the morning," she says.
Deciding she'd had enough, Myra saw J. Melvin Deese, M.D., a board-certified
orthopaedic surgeon and foot and ankle specialist with Summit Sports Medicine
& Orthopaedic Surgery, a strategic affiliate of Southeast Georgia
Health System.
From June to December 2011, Dr. Deese performed a series of staged surgeries
to reconstruct Myra's ankle. The surgeries made a significant difference for Myra.
"Despite all the rods, pins, casts and pain of the surgeries, it was
all worth it," she says. "Thanks to Dr. Deese, I now get up
in the morning with very little pain, and I have very little discomfort
all day long. This was a real answer to my prayers!"