Arrested Development-esque Medical Procedure Surprisingly Effective in Real Life

Compare:

Exhibit A.

GOB: My middle and index fingers are—
Dr. Stein: Switched! For the first time ever!

Arrested Development episode 2.15, “Sword of Destiny”

Exhibit B.

When 10-year-old Dugan Smith learned he had cancer in his knee, he opted to have his lower leg amputated, rotated 180 degrees, and reattached at his hip so that he could still play baseball.

Why?:

[The procedure] would allow his ankle muscles and ligaments to do the job of his knee. Basically: his ankle would serve as a backwards knee. So his foot would be at the end of his thigh, and he could place it into a prosthetic and have more control over it.

The surgery was a complete success, and Dugan is currently playing on his school baseball team — his goal when he elected for this rare operation in the first place. This video of him and his family shows a young boy who, despite this incredible setback, is living a full, active, cancer-free life.

I don’t know about you, but I’d be willing to bet that whoever did this surgery is one of the best doctors in the state.

(hat-tip: kottke.org.)

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