October 13, 2016
Chicago, IL (October 13, 2016)
Dr. Nikhil Verma, sports medicine surgeon, Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush and Director, Division of Sports Medicine at Rush University Medical Center, recently had the opportunity to perform pro bono surgery on two young basketball prodigies from Juba, South Sudan. The 16-year-olds, Anyang and Garang, are students at Impact Basketball Academy in Bradenton, Florida where they both sustained injuries during practice. When they heard about Dr. Verma's offer to treat them, they flew to Chicago for surgery and follow up. Anyang underwent an ACL repair and Garang had shoulder stabilization surgery.
Anyang, who is seven feet tall and a life-long soccer enthusiast, only started playing basketball at age 14. Now, he's enjoying honing his basketball skills, studying math and learning English. "My mission now is just school and basketball," he explains. His best friend Garang, 'the short one,' is six feet, seven inches tall. Both boys hope to play for a D1 basketball program when they finish high school.
A special thank you to Midwest Anesthesia Partners, Park Ridge Anesthesia, and Gold Coast Surgery Center for also providing free services.
