Staten Island Woman Reunites With Doctor Who Helped Her Walk Again After Being Paralyzed From Waist Down
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Staten Island woman reunited Wednesday with the doctor who helped her walk again.
Irene Smith hugged and thanked Dr. Mohammad Moussavi at Staten Island University Hospital.
The 79-year-old suddenly developed numbness in her legs two years ago. She collapsed and became paralyzed from the waist down.
The doctor determined Smith suffered a spinal AV dural fistula, a rare malformation in the blood vessels in the spine.
After two difficult operations, she is now back on her feet.
"If it wasn't for his knowledge and his patience and his determination to make me a whole person again, I think he would have just given up," Smith said.
"Once I saw her in the clinic, that she was able to stand up, I cried before she cried," Moussavi said.
Smith says at times, she moves around without a walker and can even dance.