Monica Montgomery’s leg shattered during a community soccer scrimmage. The only way she could hope to walk normally again was through grafts of donated bone, ligaments, and cartilage. She is now thankful for every strong step she takes.

Monica's Story

Monica Montgomery’s life changed dramatically in December 2001. It was a rare, warm Sunday afternoon, and her family joined in a soccer scrimmage arranged by her daughter’s coach. While dribbling the ball at a full sprint, Monica overran the ball, stepped on it, and fell, shattering her right knee on the asphalt. “My femur came down on my tibia like a ‘hammer on a nail’ the doctor said,” Monica recalled.

Monica, now 44, had sustained a tibia plateau fracture to her right leg and knee with extensive damage to the bone, cartilage and ligaments. Surgery was performed the next day with a synthetic bone graft, which failed almost immediately and left her with a large chunk of missing bone in the top part of her tibia. Monica was told that she would never walk normally again; she would have to use a brace, cane, or crutches. This news was particularly hard for her, as she had been a runner and athlete her entire life.

“Small things that I had once taken for granted became major obstacles – walking to the bathroom, getting to the mail, shopping, driving. Friends and family had to fill much of the void, which only added to my loss of independence,” said Monica. “Depression and pain became part of my daily life.”

Numerous visits to other orthopedic surgeons offered little hope. Due to her age (38 at the time) and the degree of bone loss, a knee replacement was not a viable option. A bone graft was mentioned as a possible alternative.

Eventually, Monica found an orthopedic oncologist willing to perform a major reconstruction of her leg using a massive donor bone graft complete with ligaments and cartilage. Surgery took place in September 2003 at Menorah Medical Center in nearby Overland Park, KS. The surgery was a success almost immediately. Over the next year, Monica learned how to walk again and built up muscles she had not used in two years. She now works as a financial aid officer at Johnson County Community College.

“After my surgery, I sent a thank-you letter to my donor’s family through the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation,” said Monica. “My donor remains anonymous, but because of my wonderful gift, I walk normally today and am thankful for every step that I take.”