Elijah “Eli” Manion, a Paint Valley graduate, started his senior year off in 2021 as the starting running back. At the first game, Eli’s nerves quickly went from excited to scared when he heard the words, “It appears to be a torn ACL.” Eli’s brother was a freshman, and his teammates had played together since they were in elementary school. To say, Eli, his friends and family were discouraged would be an understatement.

The first play of the first game wasn’t the only thing that didn’t go as planned. Following a few recommendations, Eli and his parents thought it was best they schedule his first appointment to recovery in Cincinnati. There, it was confirmed that Eli needed a right knee ACL reconstruction with a quad tendon autograft and a medial meniscal repair. What was said to be a 90-minute surgery ended up being a 5-hour surgery with no updates from the doctor in between. After surgery, unfortunately, Eli continued to get worse, and the pain persisted.

Eli’s mother, Tonya stated, “Something just didn’t seem right with Eli.” He started physical therapy where he continued to be in severe pain. “Eli could not walk on his own, stand, or sit, she explained.”

The worry, the pain, the agony – all, continued. Tonya’s intuition was right. Eli was experiencing septic shock and had to be rushed to the hospital for surgery number two. Once completed, Eli was sent home with a PICC line and given home health treatment twice a week. Eli stated, “I lost around 50 pounds and was just not myself anymore.” “Eli is not a depressed kid, he’s typically very happy and full of life. But this wasn’t Eli. I was losing my son,” his mom explained.

Almost a month later, Eli was able to start lifting weights and attending school again. However, that was short lived when the infection returned. This is when Eli’s parents were desperate for a new approach. Dr. Brian Cohen was familiar with the injury and welcomed Eli with open arms as a patient. Dr. Cohen got Eli in the next day for an MRI and scheduled his surgery for the following day. “It’s just what I try to do. If it were me, I would want my family taken care of as quickly as possible and same day, next day is what I’ve always tried to do as a physician,” stated Dr. Cohen.

Tonya said confidently, “We knew we were in good hands as soon as we walked in the building. We were treated with respect and every step of the way was explained.” After Eli’s first surgery with Dr. Cohen, he was in great spirits! “Dr. Cohen checked on him every day! Eli was up and moving the same day and looked better than ever before, Tonya said. After this surgery, Eli was left without an ACL. Obviously, Eli’s health took priority over having an ACL given that you can live without it. However, “living without an ACL puts you up as a candidate for an early knee replacement and will limit your physical activity,” explained Dr. Cohen. At the time, Eli wanted to get back to a “normal” life and enjoy what he had left of his senior year.

Fast forward to today, 256 days later, his ACL has been reconstructed and Eli is on his way to a full recovery. Eli hopes to get into construction work and volunteer for his community. He enjoys helping others, lifting weights, and being outdoors. “Our family is very thankful and blessed to have Dr. Cohen on our side. He is truly a remarkable doctor that we respect and trust. His manner put us at ease from day one and helped us gain confidence back for Eli. Before Dr. Cohen took Eli as a patient, he was scared, but he helped Eli believe that he could win one of the toughest phases of his life,” explained Tonya. After being asked why he trusted Dr. Cohen, Eli’s answer was, “It’s simple, I trusted Dr. Cohen because he’s Dr. Brian Cohen.”

The 20+ years of experience including 30,000+ orthopedic surgical procedures speak for itself making Dr. Brian Cohen your best choice for orthopedic surgical needs in central and southern Ohio. Dr. Cohen sees patients of all ages including sports-related injuries. With school sports back in play, the team at Cohen Orthopedic is here for you! For a same day, next day appointment call 614-788-0375.