ABC-7 Listens 04.23.16

is an el pasoan. rick cabrera re-visits reggie cook’s surgery in abc-7 listens. reggie cook is recovering from 12 plus hours of elbow surgery. but this wasn’t just any surgery … they took the elbow, along with the ligaments and blood vessels in his left arm … and arm that was flaccid … and moved it to his right arm. the surgery left him with only one arm … but the hope is that one arm … will be fully functional. abc-7’s estela cas was able to bring you exclusive access to the events before the surgery, the surgery itself and the recovery. she presented the story in 2 parts … one ran during abc-7 at six … and another at abc-7 at 10. my gut tells me lee only saw the 10 o’clock story. “your story on the elbow transplant was intriguing. but not as intriguing as why the operation was taking place. “nor as intriguing as t why you left this detail out of your coverage. “really, a man losing one arm so the other arm can have a new elbow, potentially leaving him arm-less if the surgery fails and you saw no need to inform us of any background details!” lee .. you make a good point and we should’ve re- iterated the reason for the surgery in part two of the report. as we reported at 6 p-m, back in 2009 cook fell asleep at the wheel and crashed. he ended up in a coma … and with 14 broken bones in his neck and need numerous hip and foot surgeries. our story has gained national attention. geraldine in stockton california reached out. “can yo please give me further information on the name of the surgeons that did the first ever elbow-to-elbow surgery in san francisco, ca. “my husband is in nee of an elbow transplant and has not been able to locate a good surgeon.” the surger was performed at the university of california san francisco by a team of doctors led by world renowned elbow surgeon lisa lattanza under the consultation of local orthopedic surgeon eric sides. at last check reggie was able to move his hand … and will be back home next week to start rehab in el paso. in the meantime, we’ll continue to update you on air, on k-v-i-a dot com … and on the k-v-i-a-dot com facebook page. rick cabrera. abc-7 listens.