Procedure allows Bentonville man to live the life he loves
Posted on Thursday, April 10, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/64008/
BENTONVILLE — John Hill has run several Boston Marathons over the years, but crossing the finish line in 2006 was anything but pleasant.
Hill, a Bentonville resident for more than a decade and an executive with Nestle in Rogers, was accustomed to tackling the 26. 22-mile marathon in Beantown in as little as three hours, 27 minutes. But on April 17, 2006, Hill’s time skyrocketed to just shy of six hours. And he was in excruciating pain on top of that.
“ The only way I even made it to the finish line was to stop every so often and put more ice in my shorts, ” Hill recalls. “ I knew the end was near. It was going to be over for me. I wasn’t going to be able to run anymore. ”
Once a confident long-distance runner, Hill had been diagnosed with osteoarthritis prior to legging out the 2006 Boston Marathon. And at 44 years old, the condition had nothing to do with age. Instead, an extra piece of bone on Hill’s hip was rubbing against cartilage in the right joint of his hip, causing the protective material to deteriorate at a much more rapid rate than usual. The only surgical procedure being prescribed was total hip replacement — and that would mean giving up running altogether.
While attempting to stomach the fact that part of his life would soon be erased, Hill stumbled upon a story about a new surgical procedure called hip resurfacing. The procedure was so new, in fact, that it was not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration, few had been performed in the United States, and the majority of insurance companies were not covering the procedure. Still, a glimmer of hope was ignited that has led to Hill holding on to the life he has always known.
On April 21, Hill, now 46, will be among the more than 20, 000 runners from across the country competing in the Boston Marathon. More importantly, Hill, who underwent the hip-resurfacing procedure 14 short months ago, expects to run the world’s oldest and most popular marathon pain-free, and even has his eye on finishing in under four hours.
“ If I think about it too much, I get overcome with emotion, ” Hill said. “ A year ago, none of this would have been possible. It wasn’t even imaginable. When you get a second chance at life like I have, you can’t help but feel humbled. I had already been told to start developing my exit plan from running. And in a few weeks, I’ll be doing the Boston Marathon. ”
The hip-resurfacing procedure, performed on Hill by Dr. Robert Barrack in St. Louis on Jan. 23, 2007, has been practiced in Europe for several years but has just recently started to gain acceptance in the United States. Rather than removing the entire hip, the resurfacing procedure introduces a special metal into the hip joint where the cartilage once was. As a result, bone-on-bone contact, which causes arthritis, pain and disability, is replaced by metal on metal.
The realization that he would not have to lose his hip meant Hill could continue to run marathons. But, more importantly, he would remain the father and husband he had been to that point in his life.
“ I coach my 6-year-old daughter (Mary Lou’s ) softball team, and there was a time when I was having trouble getting from one end of the field to the other, let alone running, ” Hill explained. “ I have a 9-year-old daughter (Sophie ) and an 11-year-old son (Brody ) that run AAU. I’ve always been right there, running with them. I enjoy being involved. My family is a priority. When my doctor performed the surgery, that was the thing I told him. I said, ‘ Now I can play with my kids. ’ ”
Growing up, Hill was into basketball, football and other team sports. By the time he married, he was competing in adult softball. But when he started a family, time became a valuable commodity. Hill said he quickly realized he could get in more of a physical workout running for a halfhour than he was getting during the entire three hours it took to drive to and from and play a softball game. So for more than a decade, his love for running took center stage, allowing him to keep exercise and family as priorities.
Since a couple of months after his surgery, Hill has been enjoying the family time he so treasures, while working his way back into the running shape he was in prior to his diagnosis. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Hill can normally be found running through the Bentonville square, along Central Avenue and down Main Street and other familiar corridors. At about 7: 30 p. m. every Sunday — after he has spent the day hanging out with his wife, Kari, and kids — Hill sets out on another run, normally returning after 11 p. m.
While rehabbing, Hill completed the bike and swim legs of several triathlons, allowing his son Brody to leg out the running portions. Hill completed his first triathlon by himself in September and has run several 15 Ks since, to go along with a half marathon in Tennessee in mid-March. Prior to his diagnosis, Hill ran up to 2, 000 miles per year, and he has worked his way back to the point that he expects to log 1, 000 miles in 2008.
“ I have no pain in the hip, ” Hill said. “ I have to watch myself and make sure I don’t overdo it, but the hip itself feels great. The biggest thing with rehab is getting the tendon and the muscle back to where they need to be. That’s been the bulk of the work. I’m still building that back up. ”
Because the majority of the 14 months following his surgery have been spent getting back to form, Hill could not qualify for the Boston Marathon on his own merit. So Nestle, which produces Power Bar, the sponsor of the Boston Marathon, worked to get Hill qualified based on past performance and detailed his situation for the Boston Athletic Association. Hill was accepted and plans to make proud those who helped get him back to the starting line of the world’s most popular marathon.
“ It’s taken a lot of people and a whole circle of events to get me to this point, ” Hill said. “ I feel so blessed and fortunate. ”