As a consistent age-group winning triathlete, a nagging problem of plantar fascitis and an accompanying bone spur finally sidelined me. I had sought out other surgeons’ and podiatrists’ opinions, and they all wanted to operate immediately, and to do so from the side of my foot.

Dr. Reilly tried every possible solution, to the point of casting the unhappy appendage for a month, before he would consider operation. And when he did finally operate, his decision to remove the bone spur from the bottom of my foot, rather than the side, saved me from having a second surgery, since the bonespur was much too large for a side exit.

During surgery, few stitches were used to close the incision, and Dr. Reilly instead used a compression plaster cast to hold it together. This resulted in two things: First, very, very little scarring, so I do not have an uneven footstrike due to scar tissue build-up. Second, Dr. Reilly had to pick me up at home, drive me to his office and cut the cast off at 2 a.m. in the morning when swelling made the cast unbearable.

What amazes me is that the doctor knew that at some point the compression cast had to come off, and he took the risk as to whether it would be during his regular office hours, or as it turned out. Such compassion and dedication and professionalism are so rare these days, and it was so refreshing to have someone earn my highest respect with the quality of their actions.

T. Drum