Athlete Gains Chance to Compete Again and Pursue Career
\Movement is everything to Rachel Frank, who is very grateful to the donor that selflessly gave her a second chance to be an athlete and to pursue a career in orthopedic surgery. While playing Division 1, Big Ten soccer for the University of Illinois, she sustained two separate injuries to her left knee. After her second surgery, not only did Rachel lose athletic movement in her knee, she lost a part of herself. “I was a happy, active person prior to my injuries,” Rachel said. After consultation and researching her options, she decided that a left lateral meniscus allograft transplant would give her the best possibility of restoring movement to her knee to the extent that she could compete again. Following a period of rehabilitation, Rachel was able to run in races. She is grateful to the donor and the donor’s family and the team of healthcare professionals, all of who made it possible for her to perform as an athlete again. “This transplant means everything to me because movement is everything to me.”
Inspired by her transplant, Rachel is now pursuing orthopedic surgery “to help restore movement in others.”
