Dr. John Kennedy & Flip Mullen
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While guests and honorees of Irish America's Top 100 awards evening held on March 11 last year lined up for a photo opportunity with "Person of the Year" and now presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton, two men - both honorees - got talking. Within minutes a relationship was formed that over the course of the next year would help several wounded war soldiers take back their lives.
Flip Mullen, organizer of a four-day summer sports festival in Rockaway, New York for wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan, was one partner in the new venture. The other was Dr. John Kennedy, director of the Running Clinic in the Gait Laboratory at the Hospital for Special Surgery, New York.
On the night, Mullen, a retired NYPD and FDNY officer, received an award for his work with the Wounded Warriors Project - an organization set up by John Melia (also an honoree) to provide programs and services for wounded veterans and their families.
Kennedy was honored for his work in Santo Domingo where he performs 15 to 20 orthopedic surgeries free of charge for patients who need it the most.
Fast-forward one year. Mullen, whose Irish roots lie in western Ireland, and Kennedy, a Dublin native, will share the stage at Irish America's 2008 Top 100 for their successful and blossoming partnership in saving the limbs of America's wounded war heroes.
The relationship is simple. Mullen and other members of the Wounded Warriors Project advise those injured soldiers who may require a second medical opinion to seek the advice of Dr. Kennedy. To date, Kennedy and his associate, Dr. Austin Fragomen have met with several war-wounded soldiers, listened to their stories, looked at their wounds and in some cases performed miraculous surgeries that have saved their legs from amputation.
Kennedy, who is actively involved in the treatment of team members from the New York Giants and the New York Red Bulls, began his new challenge by saving the leg of Army Captain Brian Jantzen. Surgeons told the young captain, whose legs, feet and ankle bones were shattered when his vehicle was hit while on patrol in Ramadi, Iraq, that amputation was necessary. "I was real close. I even had the appointment scheduled. It was literally days away," Jantzen told WCBS recently. Through Mullen and the Wounded Warriors Project, Jantzen met with Kennedy for a second opinion.
The Dublin doctor saved his legs. "It's a blessing. It's a gift. I just feel so lucky, I wonder why it was me that got to be so lucky," said Jantzen.
Kennedy's work with the soldiers was making big waves among the wounded so it wasn't long before Mullen was getting dozens of calls requesting an appointment with the surgeon, who is praised far and wide for his disciplined, diligent and passionate work.
In December, 2007, Kennedy operated on Sergeant John Borders.
Borders had crushed both his legs, lost his ring finger, lacerated his liver, damaged his eyes and face in an explosion that happened while he was on patrol in Taji, Iraq in 2006. He had undergone 50 operations, including the amputation of his left leg, and met with Kennedy and his team as a last ditch effort to save his remaining leg.
"Dr. Kennedy is a life saver. We really think it will work out," Borders' wife Mollie told Irish America recently, explaining that while her husband will have to go through seven intense weeks of physical therapy at Walter Reed Army Medical Center before he will know the full accomplishment of his operation, for the first time since his injury he is without constant pain.
Dr. Kennedy's most recent success story lies with Jeffrey Guerian, a 25-year-old marine who was wounded in Afghanistan in 2004. "I was told I was going to lose my leg," Guerian told Irish America from his bed in Syracuse, New York. A member of the Wounded Warriors Project heard that Guerian was in dire need of a second opinion so they made the call and spoke with Jeff's Irish- American mother, Colleen. The Guerians jumped at the chance of hope, and in January, Kennedy and his team operated on the young soldier's leg, giving him the optimism of one day walking on his own again. Guerian, who also lost sight in his eyes, explained, "I have to wear a brace for ten weeks before I will know the full extent of the success of the operation." Although Guerian admits his pain is still at an all-time high, Dr. Kennedy has promised to get it down to a manageable level. "I look forward to that day," Guerian said eagerly.
Not only does Mullen put the recovering soldiers in contact with the Irish doctor, he and his wife Rita also give the soldiers and their families a home while in New York. John and Mollie Borders and their two children spent three weeks over the Christmas holidays with the Mullens. "It was wonderful to have John and his family with us, and it was even more fantastic to see John dancing in our house the other night," said Mullen.
Explaining that the relationship with wounded warriors and Dr. Kennedy is only at the early stages, Mullen said that three more patients are in the process of having consultations with the doctor. "We have another three guys that will be seeing Dr. Kennedy soon. One has a problem with his ankle, the other with his leg and the third, would you believe is Brian Jantzen's roommate, Jim Ollinger, another captain in the Army, whom I originally met with Brian a few months ago. This guy is currently in law school so we are trying to coordinate their schedules."
Speaking about meeting Kennedy last year, Mullen said it was destiny that brought them together "Thanks to fate and Irish America magazine, we are able to help a whole lot of fellas. . . . Kennedy is not just a second opinion. He is a wonderful top-notch surgeon. There is normally a two-year waiting list for patients to have a consultation with the doctor, but he makes huge exceptions for our soldiers."
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