I'm a yoga teacher and a studio owner here in Washington, D.C. I really love the
challenge of being a yoga instructor, of being a yoga student really. And
it's amazing to me to think that not so long ago, I had an accident,
and I thought my career was over. My name is Amy Rizzotto.
I was treated and cared for at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. And my
doctor, my surgeon, and his whole entire team restored both my body and my career.
It was early evening. I was actually biking to see a client,
and a person in their car pulled an illegal u-turn without looking and
didn't see me. And, I went flying over the handlebars and over the front of his
hood and onto the concrete. And, I was scooped up and taken to Georgetown. And, I
could already see that my wrist was at an abnormal angle bending out to the side
rather than up and down a a wrist is supposed to do. The next day, I went and
saw Dr. Kessler, and he took a look at my X-ray and, you know, kind of said, well
this is a doozy, in this way that was very disarming. When you're so
emotionally distressed, it helps to have a doctor who can lighten your load in
any little way.
Both of the bones broke, the radius and the ulnar, and I tore all the ligaments on
the outside of my wrist. I was terrified. My work means so much to me, and I was so
scared that that was gone. My bones were completely askew, and Dr. Kessler
literally put me back together. And when I got out of surgery, he said you were
trouble. And, I was only casted for four or five days. Then the cast was removed, I
was put in a splint, and I was moving again.
One week after surgery, I had my occupational therapist moving my wrist
like this and like this, which at the time was excruciatingly painful. But I
knew that movement is medicine. And six months to the day after surgery, I was
getting into handstands again.
I own my own business called Morfitt which is my nutrition coaching and yoga
and various events I do throughout the city. Honestly, you know, I can do anything,
and I'm stunned at how well my body has healed. Dr. Kessler showed me the
equipment, and I believe he put nine screws in as well as a pin into my ulnar
and just a very small titanium plate that was t-shaped. And, you would never
know. I can't feel anything in there, and it's just astounding to me that I don't
set off metal detectors. And I was treated almost as if I was a
professional athlete, and I'm kind of like a measly yoga teacher here in in D.C.
And, I could cry here. I know that I'm very lucky for how well I've recovered.
But I also know that it's because I had a great team around me. And, I'm very
grateful that I can still do what I love to do.