TRICYCLE

June 30, 2008 05:25 PM Eastern Daylight Time


CORRECTION...by Valley Presbyterian Hospital

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Please replace release with the following revised version. Last graph of original release has been deleted.

The corrected release reads:

VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL HEALS ''TOUR OF HOPE'' CYCLIST

Lee Fitzgerald is someone you want to meet.

In fact, after spending just a few minutes with him, you'd probably be inspired to follow in his footsteps. That is, if you could keep up with him.

At fifteen, Lee Fitzgerald was paralyzed from the waist down, when a truck flipped over and landed on his back. Faced with a crushed spine, Lee was told he would never walk again, nor be able to father children. Lee proved them wrong, fighting through pain and physical setbacks, to go from wheelchair to crutches to cane … to long-distance cyclist!

And now, at age 66, Dr. Fitzgerald (he has a doctorate in clinical psychology) is embarking upon his greatest journey yet … a cross-country tricycle trek, from Los Angeles to New York City, dubbed the "Tour of Hope," where he plans to raise money to feed hundreds of disadvantaged children in America and no doubt inspire millions more across the country.

During his recovery from paralysis, Lee discovered inner reserves of determination and grit, which helped him overcome his personal adversity. A gifted equestrian before the accident, he defied doctors and climbed right back, relearning how to balance, grip with his good leg, and eventually ride. (He credits his stallion "Faratez” and support from his friend, Dwayne Bower, as the key to his recovery.) After numerous surgeries, intensive physical therapy, and sheer determination, he managed to regain movement in his legs, which ultimately allowed him to get back on his feet — not to mention a bike.

Unfortunately, the many operations left him with a left leg shorter than the other, which over time caused hip degeneration and constant pain. Yet through it all, Lee became renowned as a long-distance cyclist, making historic treks across Death Valley, up and down the California coast, to Vegas and back — not letting anything slow him down until about a year ago, when the pain grew to be unbearable. That’s when he met Dr. Huddleston.

Dr. Herbert D. Huddleston, M.D., Medical Director at the Valley Hip & Knee Institute at Valley Presbyterian Hospital, performed Lee’s hip replacement surgery that successfully remedied the degeneration. But he was also able to reconfigure Lee’s leg bones to make both legs the same length. Lee considers what Dr. Huddleston did "a miracle." For the first time since age 15, he was able to go barefoot and walk without dragging his foot and, be able to walk hand-in-hand down the street with his fiancée April Rogers.

Lee’s story is an inspiration unto itself. But as a gifted communicator — Lee was a successful recording artist, with two hit singles under his belt, and is currently the host of his own cable TV Show, The Dr. Lee Fitzgerald Show — he reaches 1.5 million people with his homespun humor, and personal message of triumph over adversity.

We invite you to meet this remarkable individual. Learn more about Lee’s story, and how, through the help of a gifted surgeon, he is able to spread his message of inspiration coast to coast.

One more thing. The part about not being able to father a child? Lee has a daughter and a son, and six grandchildren.

For more information about Valley Presbyterian Hospital, please visit www.valleypres.org or contact Alana Beyer by phone at 619-925-2236 or via email: alana.beyer@sagon-phior.com.

Contacts

Alana Beyer
Sagon-Phior
619-925-2236
alana.beyer@sagon-phior.com