In mid-November, 2015, my son James suffered an avulsion fracture of his tibia trying out for his high school varsity basketball team. The local ER physician indicated that he would need surgery. At 6:30 the next morning, I reached out to Dr. Positano. He suggested that we see Dr. Brian Halpern, who saw James at 11 a.m. that morning.

After examining him, he thought James needed surgery. Dr Halpern immediately discussed the situation with Dr. Helfet, who made time to examine James and scheduled surgery for 4 p.m. the same afternoon. We were so impressed with the speed with which Dr. Helfet and his team were able to arrange for the MRI, CAT scan and blood work in time for the by 4 p.m.surgery.

In June of 2013, I was hit by a car crossing the street with friends. I was taken to a local hospital where they treated my broken leg and then there were complications with the blood flow to my foot. After several surgeries, the doctors told my parents they would ultimately need to amputate my leg if there was no improvement in my condition. My parents needed a second opinion and had me transferred to NY Presbyterian where Dr. Helfet and a team of doctors took me into surgery and saved my leg.

I was in a car accident out of the country (the Caribbean) in May 2010, where I sustained a compound fracture of the left distal femur, simple midline fracture of the right femur and acetabular fracture of the right hip.

I came to HSS after being injured in an ATV accident where I broke Tib/Fib on both legs and Femur on left. The hospital on Long Island saved my life, but said I would never be able to use my left leg again; it was beyond repair. Dr. Helfet and his team put me back together over 12 surgeries, and not only promised me I would be able to walk, but I would be able to return to my passion, which was skiing big mountains. 2 years later I was skiing the mountains of my dreams in Alaska.

Tim DiPietro
Mill Neck, NY

July 4, 1990 on a nice sunny day is when I took a ride on my nephew’s motorcycle and was cut off and ran into a fire hydrant about 50 MPH. My right leg took the impact and there were multiple compound fractures of my femur, tibia, fibular and I serrated my femoral artery. I was rushed to RWJ hospital in NJ where I almost died from blood loss.

Luckily, there was a fantastic surgeon on call that day and my leg was put back together and in a few years it was time to look further for other solutions for my chronic pain and discomfort which brought me to HSS. I first met with the hospital’s trauma head Dr. David Helfet who treated me for various infections through a few years.