As the Baptist campus minister at an esteemed college in Virginia, Jeffrey Buffkin needs to stay active to keep up with the students he works with. He does this through activities like basketball. In 2018, while playing a game of hoops with some of the students, Jeffrey tore his left ACL. Jeffrey is no stranger to ACL injuries. In fact, he tore his right ACL in college and had it repaired in 1991. Last time, his treatment included taking part of his own patellar tendon and using it to repair his damaged ACL. Nearly 30 years later, his doctor recommended using a tendon given by a tissue door to repair his left knee. This would eliminate a second incision site and would be much smaller than the large scar on his right knee from the previous surgery.
“I can’t even tell you where the scar is,” he said of his left knee. “The difference is amazing with how (much) less invasive the surgery is. I was actually cleared quicker for activity from my surgery last year, than I was 28 years ago.”
Jeffrey is back on campus and playing basketball with the students once again. He is excited to return to this sense of normal and recognizes that this gift has not only touched his life, but the lives of the people who he serves and helps every day. Jeffrey is an advocate for tissue donation and is grateful for the selfless gift that he received.
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