NewsRounds
July 2009
Volume 48 Number 3
On Sunday, July 19, 2009, Rush sports medicine specialist and orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Brian Cole embarked on a climb of Mt. Rainier in Washington. He made the climb with one of his patients, John Golden, who spent years severely debilitated by a knee injury until Cole performed a double transplant to replace cartilage in Golden’s left knee and lower leg in 2005.
Barely able to climb steps prior to his transplant, Golden since has become an avid mountain climber—he came within about 3,000 feet of reaching the top of Mt. Everest in early May before bad weather and an injury forced him to end his expedition.
Read complete story on John Golden Everest Expedition
Dr. Cole, who is head of the Rush Cartilage Restoration Center, previously joined Golden on a climb of Mt. Shuksan in Washington (which rises 9,127 feet above sea level) before taking part in the 14,410-foot ascent of Mt. Rainier.
Golden and Cole are cofounders of the LiveActive Fund for Orthopaedic Research and Education at Rush, which raises money for Rush orthopaedic research and creates awareness of alternative treatments available for people with orthopaedic conditions. Through the Mt. Rainier expedition, they hope to call attention to the possibilities created by advances in orthopaedic treatments.
The expedition team, which includes 11 climbers and 4 guides, reached the summit Wednesday, July 22, at approximately 10 a.m. Chicago time.
To learn more about LiveActive, visit www.liveactivenow.org.