No Distance Too Far as Central Florida Couple Embarks on Mission to Find the Right Hernia Surgeon

Dillon Huckabey and his wife Darian live in Central Florida but were willing to travel just about anywhere for treatment for Dillon’s abdominal hernia. It had gotten so large that it expanded his abdomen, and he had to stop using a prosthetic for his amputated leg.

“As an amputee, core strength is of the utmost importance to be able to walk, so not having a core is kind of a problem,” Dillon says.

Dillon carefully researched doctors to treat his hernia. It was important to him to find surgeons who cared about his long-term recovery and what his life would be like in another 10 years. 

“Unabashedly, I was trying to find someone that really cared because I knew it was going to be a life-changing thing,” he says. “I couldn’t be happier with my choice.”

Dillon and Darian chose Eric Owings, MD, a general surgeon at Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital, because he was highly recommended and experienced in complicated abdominal hernias such as Dillon’s.

Dillon and his wife Darian. 

“Dillon needed an abdominal wall reconstruction because his hernia was so large in size that any standard techniques applied to his hernia would fail,” Dr. Owings says.

According to Dr. Owings, Dillon had a ventral hernia, the type that occurs through the front abdominal muscles. The colon, small intestine and part of the liver were protruding out of Dillon’s abdominal cavity. Most ventral hernias are two to four centimeters wide. Dillon’s was more than 20 centimeters wide, posing a “significant problem.”

Dr. Owings worked with Dillon for a year before his surgery in order to get him in optimal shape for the procedure.

Matthew Peebles, MD, a general surgeon at Tradition Hospital as well, partnered with Dr. Owings for the surgery.

“We talk about patients together. We look at their surgical histories; we look at their imaging and come up with plans. We coordinate their surgeries so that more than one surgeon is there,” Dr. Peebles says. “We have multiple surgeons who are around to take care of the patients postoperatively and have a good understanding of the complexities of their postoperative care.”

Getting back to outdoor activities post abdominal hernia repair.  

Dillon’s surgery was a success. He said the care he received exceeded his expectations and his quality of life has changed “dramatically.”

“The incision healed fantastically, and Dillon should be able to live a normal life,” Dr. Owings says.

He is back to normal activities with no restrictions. Dillon and Darian are looking forward to resuming travel and hope to start a family in the future as well.

“Cleveland Clinic was a wonderful experience,” Darian says. “From when you walked in the door just being greeted, the communication has always been phenomenal.”