Toni Perry

Foot surgery at HSS saved my life - literally.

My name is Toni Perry. Since 2001, I had been suffering from an autoimmune disease, which left my left foot and ankle arthritic, crippled and in constant pain. For years, I sought out the top specialists in rheumatology and orthopedics at John Hopkins, Columbia, and Mount Sinai Hospital for answers, but was told nothing could be done. That is, until I met Dr. Constantine Demetracopoulos (Dr. D.) at HSS.

Dr. D. performed fusion surgery on my left foot/ankle on May 13, 2015 and the surgery was a tremendous success. Two weeks after the surgery, it was discovered (via biopsy) that I had Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Stage 4. Had it not been for surgery, we would not have known about the cancer, until it was too late.

Dr. D. worked closely - personally - with me and the nation's leading Lymphoma Oncologist, Dr. Paul Hamlin of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, to determine the right course for healing during chemotherapy.

Today - 6 months later - the foot is completely healed and I am in remission.

I walk my dog and take long, wonderful hikes with my husband, George. It's as though I had never been ill and the past 14 years of an excruciating limp are but a memory.

No more arthritis. No more pain. No more cancer!

Thank you Lord Jesus for leading me to HSS.