When Alex Knight, 30, lifted his new wife, Ryann, in his arms after their first wedding dance, they both knew they had more than just their friends and families to thank for supporting their life together. It was a celebration made possible by quick, coordinated and careful medical care by a Lankenau Medical Center trauma team and orthopaedic surgeon Mitesh Shah.
“I’m so grateful to everyone, from the emergency responders to my therapists to Dr. Shah and his team, for putting me back together again,”
Alex said of the year-plus of surgeries and recovery after a near-fatal car crash in May 2020 that crushed many of Alex’s bones and damaged multiple organs and other tissues.
Shah and his team kept Alex in traction, prioritized his injuries and started addressing them one at a time. Over days of multiple surgeries, they meticulously rebuilt his body. They also did their best to update Alex’s family, who couldn’t visit due to COVID-19 protocols. The multiple surgeries were followed by weeks of inpatient therapy at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital.
“When I went to rehab, I couldn’t even sit up,” Alex said, but now,
I’m able to live without limitations.”
At his last surgical follow-up appointment in November 2021, Alex and Ryann reminisced with Shah, sharing stories and pictures from their April wedding day.
“It was incredibly rewarding to see that,” Shah said.