Dustin Day moved his family – teen-age daughter and wife – from southern California to Palmyra, MO, to be closer to his wife’s family.

The move had some unexpected benefits for Dustin including saving his life.

How? Dustin will tell you it is thanks to the providers and staff of Blessing Health System.

“I could not have been happier being a patient of Blessing. It’s a fantastic organization.”

This story starts when Dustin saw a photo of himself after a vacation to the Dominican Republic. He weighed 346 pounds.

“I was killing myself,” Dustin admitted. “I was slowly dying because of my unhealthy lifestyle. I knew that had to change.”

Dustin’s quest to save his life brought him to medically managed weight loss provider Dr. Erik Meidl, who practices at Hannibal Clinic and at the nationally accredited Blessing Bariatric Institute in Quincy. Dustin worked with Dr. Meidl for a year with success. Eventually, his weight challenge required advancement to a higher level of care. Vertical sleeve gastrectomy surgery was scheduled with Dr. Melissa Matrisch of the Blessing Bariatric Institute.

But wait, there’s more!

Before Dustin’s scheduled bariatric surgery, he hurt his right knee at work. It hyperextended, bending beyond its normal limits.

“It feels like your knee went backwards, that it bent the wrong way,” he said. “It’s a sharp, shooting pain on the inside of your knee.”

Dustin reached for his phone and searched “orthopedic urgent cares.” He found the Blessing Health System’s Orthopedic Walk-in Clinic at the Blessing Health Center at 4800 Maine.

“It’s phenomenal. It’s one of the greatest things they ever developed – a walk-in clinic for a broken bone or torn ligament or joint injury,” Dustin exclaimed.

Dustin tore the meniscus in his knee, cartilage that provides shock absorption, cushion and stability to the knee. From the Blessing Orthopedic Walk-In Clinic, Dustin made an appointment to see Josue Acevedo, MD, Blessing Health System board-certified orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Acevedo not only removed the damage portions of the meniscus in the right knee and smoothed the remaining edges of the cartilage, he also addressed areas of arthritis within the joint, unrelated to the injury, but found during the examination. Dustin said it felt like he received a new knee.

“We have some of the finest doctors at Blessing, doing some of the greatest work you’ve ever seen in your life,” Dustin stated.

“Dr. Acevedo is one of those individuals who is extraordinarily talented at what he does,” he continued. “He does not want to just fix a problem. He wants to make it like it was before the injury happened. He did that with me. I had 100 percent full recovery with a great outcome. What a world of difference.”

Now back to the Blessing Bariatric Institute

Dustin’s knee surgery was May 10, 2021. Eleven days later he underwent vertical sleeve gastrectomy surgery, a procedure that makes the stomach smaller. It decreases the volume of the stomach so less food can be taken in. Then, with a modified diet, behavior modification and physical activity the patient can experience a loss of 55-65% of extra body weight. This can prevent diseases for which excess weight is a risk factor.

Dustin lost 100 pounds within nine months of the procedure.

“I can do things I could not do before. It’s life-changing,” he said.

“We have the best of the best (providers and support staff) right here in our own backyard,” Dustin concluded. “We’re very lucky.”

For more information on the Blessing Bariatric Institute, click here.

For more information on orthopedics and sports medicine, click here.