ON THE HILL
sports
by T O M M C G U I R E
Standing Tall
one that could have been pulled from a medical drama on TV. A star athlete gets injured but, with the help of a donated tendon, is able to keep playing his favorite sport. For Bloomsburg University baseball player Joey Ianiero, the story is all too true. While playing baseball for Rutgers University before transferring to Bloomsburg, Ianiero ruptured his ACL/MCL and meniscus. Ianiero’s doctor suggested the most efficient way to repair the damage was surgery to transplant a donor tendon. “I wasn’t nervous about receiving a donated tendon,” says Ianiero. “I told my doctor — Dr. Gregory Fanelli at Geisinger Medical Center — whatever he thought was best was what I wanted. He assured me this was the safest and best way to go.” The tissue came from the Transplant Services Center at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical THE STORY IS
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Center, donated by the family of Thomas Pettit, who died in December 2007 when he fell backward onto a log while clearing brush. After his successful surgery, Ianiero returned to the baseball field for his first season with the Huskies. He led the team in several offensive categories and that could have been the end of the story. However, last November, at an annual event at the UT Southwestern Medical Center, Ianiero was able to do something many transplant recipients only dream of: say “thank you” directly to the donor family. “My mom had sent a thank you note to the family, although she didn’t know which family donated the tissue since she was just given a case number,” says the senior second baseman. “Later on Brandon, Thomas Pettit’s son, connected with me through Facebook, we started
communicating with each other and have since become good friends. “In the fall of 2010, the medical center contacted me and wanted to know if I could attend this dinner where the families are honored and say thank you in person. After Bloomsburg cleared things with the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), I flew down to Dallas with my mother the week before Thanksgiving for the dinner.” He surprised the Pettit family, who did not know he was going to attend the celebration. “I told them thanks for everything,” says Ianiero. “The tissue donation did not save my life, but it got me back to doing everything I wanted to do. Their generosity means a lot to me.” “My recovery has been great,” he adds. “I had an MRI a few months ago and the doctors said it was one of the best recoveries ever.”
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FA L L A L L - A M E R I C A N S
Walczuk
Riley
Rush
Renn
Quiteh
BU RECENTLY honored its five All-Americans from the fall sports season. They are Katie Walczuk, junior elementary education major from Long Valley, N.J., women's soccer; Amanda Riley, junior special education/elementary education major from Tannersville, Julia Rush, senior health sciences major from Quakertown, and Betsy Renn, junior accounting major from Herndon, all field hockey; and Franklyn Quiteh, sophomore undeclared from Tobyhanna, football.
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SUMMER SPORTS CAMPS
Bloomsburg University will offer summer sports camps in lacrosse and cross country/track for the first time this year. Also planned are camps for football, wrestling, basketball, field hockey, baseball, tennis and swimming. More information is available at www.BUcamps.com.
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B L O O M S B U R G U N I V E R S I T Y O F P E N N S Y LVA N I A