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New Jersey Plastic Surgeon Called “Top Doc” by His Patient
From left: Dr. Rose & Jon Kay
Six years ago, Jon Kay noticed an issue with his left foot. He had trouble with balance and strength in the foot. It progressed to the point where he lost all feeling in the bottom of his foot. His condition, called neuropathy,–in Kay’s case perhaps a result of a family history of diabetes—caused his internist to predict: “You’ll end up in a wheelchair in the next 10 to 15 years.”
The 61-year-old Marlboro, New Jersey, businessman reported the common refrain heard by the experts at The Institute for Advanced Reconstruction: “Nobody in the medical field seemed to know what to do about my neuropathy.”
But Kay, an avid vintage car builder, was at a New Jersey/Pennsylvania Cobra Club breakfast in Chester, NJ, when he made a new friend. Dr. Michael Rose, like Kay, had also built a Cobra and had extra parts to give away. This landed Kay at Rose’s house, where the two chatted as Rose handed over his extra parts.
Ironically, it was Kay’s partner, Janey, who later pointed out that she knew of Dr. Rose through a media article. She mentioned to him that he treats neuropathy. So, at the next Cobra group breakfast meeting, Kay approached Dr. Rose about his neuropathy. In front of 20 people in the car club, Rose had Kay take off his shoes and socks. Dr. Rose “poked and prodded my foot,” said Kay. Dr. Rose told his fellow car-lover that based on his assessment, Kay had a 50-50 chance of successful surgery. Shortly after, Jon came to see Dr. Rose in his office and set a date for surgery: December 9, 2013. Surgery was important to regain sensory and motor function. For Kay, he wanted to restore the ability to feel and press reliably. This is crucial when using the clutch in his Cobra.
Kay had the surgery and reports, “the results have been very overwhelming. In addition to the numbness, I was losing stability in my foot. Now, that’s completely gone.” Kay just completed work at a trade show and felt comfortable being on his feet non-stop for three days.
Says Dr. Rose, “Jon is the classic younger person with neuropathy. He is very active and still works. He doesn’t want his symptoms to get in the way of his busy schedule. By being proactive and not simply hoping his symptoms would go away, he has returned to his full life with the result that has exceeded his expectations.”
John and Janey in the Cobra
Kay’s admiration and appreciation are clear. “I have a nickname for Dr. Rose. I call him ‘Top Doc.’ I think the world of him—his manner, and the fact he is extremely approachable. He is very clear, and very upfront. Nothing he said was ever misleading.”
Of the staff at The Institute for Advanced Reconstruction who assisted him, Kay reports, “I never doubted or worried about anything. Everyone was wonderful, and everything was done in a timely fashion. On their advice, following surgery, I took two Tylenol, and that was it.”
“My internist told me, ‘If you want to get cut up, go ahead. It’s not going to do you any good.’” That’s what riled Kay. “I wasn’t given any options; someone else was making the decision for me. That wasn’t going to work for me.”
“I’m not sitting idle,” concludes Kay, who calls finding Dr. Rose similar to a case of ‘six degrees of separation.’ And best of all, within a matter of weeks, he was back driving his Cobra in complete comfort.
