Josh's Total Talus Replacement

Many of you know Josh suffered a traumatic ankle injury almost 4 years ago. The medical term for his injury was a Hawkins 4 fracture of his talus, resulting in avascular necrosis (bone death). Most people have never heard of the talus, because they have never heard of anyone that has ever broken one. The talus is a bean shaped bone which holds all of your weight and allows your foot to move in all directions. The bone naturally has low vascularity, so when the blood flow is disrupted, it more often than not will cause bone death and then the rapidly deteriorating cartilage. As a result, over the last 4 years Josh has experienced increased pain, stiffness, loss of cartilage, heavy scar tissue, and a flattening out of his ankle joint. While the physical pain/implications have been overwhelming, the emotional implications for this once very active man have been as well.

When it first happened, Dr's were saying the only option was to fuse the ankle. While this would be a solution to relieve the chronic pain, it would make the ankle immobile, thus solidifying never being able to do anything active again, other than walking. Josh was determined to find something else. At that time, we did lots of research of all the options outside of fusing it - ankle replacements, prosthetics, trials in other countries, etc. Buried in a website was one line about this "new option" - a total talus replacement. However, we couldn't find any other information about it anywhere. So, we waited. And waited. Years. Just hoping there would be a new solution on the horizon soon. Technology was advancing everyday, right?

This past May, we went in to see one of the highest rated ankle surgeons in LA. We walked in with high hopes, and out of that appointment heartbroken. After looking at Josh's x-ray's, and it being 3.5 years later, he agreed and was still suggesting that the best option was to fuse it. In the car ride home, even though this was the answer that seemed the loudest from all sides, I felt with certainty that Josh wasn't supposed to fuse it. I told him to keep looking until he found someone who was willing to fight for him.

We got home, and it wasn't long until Josh pulled up that same article from 3 years ago with the one line - total talus replacement. Remember? Well, this time, it had it's own PAGE of information on the hospital's website! And while it was new, they had an entire department dedicated to this surgery and were doing them relatively regularly. In this procedure, "the patient's healthy ankle is imaged by a CAT scan; then using computer engineering, the image is reversed and becomes a blueprint for creating the new talus, "to be a match for the abnormal talus with AVN which is removed. 3D printing technology (provided by 4Web Medical) is used to create a new talus to take the place of the dead bone The final prosthesis to be inserted is made of cobalt and chrome. Patients who receive the 3D-printed talus replacement may regain up to 75 percent of normal ankle function."



We called, sent his x-ray's for a consult, and waited on pins and needles for the phone call regarding his edibility for this type of surgery. Two weeks later we got the call and through tears of joy and relief, heard the words we had been waiting 3+ years to hear. He was a candidate! It would take some time to make the talus bone, but we were ready whenever they were.

About 2 months later, after much reaching out and another disappointing turn of events, the Dr who was supposed to do his surgery unexpectedly resigned. We were crushed. We immediately started researching to see if there was anyone else doing this surgery, and got the name of a Dr at Duke Hospital in North Carolina. Once again, after reaching out we were on pins and needles waiting to hear if this new Dr was willing to take Josh's case. Thankfully, he was! And we could not hear more good things about this hospital and this Dr. In hindsight, the experience here has been much better, and we believe this was all just the path to get Josh was he was supposed to be.

Still waiting on confirmation from insurance, but his proposed surgery date is November 8th, 2016. These funds will be used towards the surgery, flights, accommodations, PT, the loss of work hours while we are gone, and while Josh is recovering at home.

For many reasons, this has been the hardest 4 years of our lives, filled with much pain and heartache, and we are grateful that there seems to be a positive & life-giving future ahead. No matter what happens, we believe this is God's redemptive story He is trying to tell through us. Thank you so much for your continued prayers throughout the process and wanting to be a part of it. It truly overwhelms me to the point of tears when I think that anyone would be willing to give to us financially. You are the avenue through which God is revealing Himself to us. Thank you so much.

- Meghan & Josh Lubeck

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." - Isaiah 43: 18-19 NIV

"Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you've sinned, you'll be forgiven, healed inside and out!" - James 5:15 MSG