Health

A decade of joint replacements celebrated at annual dance

 Alfonso Triggiani of Westhampton Beach teaching the 'Electric Slide' to joint replacement patients. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch)
Alfonso Triggiani of Westhampton Beach teaching the ‘Electric Slide’ to joint replacement patients. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch)

Though one day they didn’t think it would be possible, they danced the afternoon away on Friday afternoon.

Peconic Bay Medical Center hosted its 10th annual joint replacement reunion barbecue and dance, a yearly gathering of individuals who have had surgery that gives patients mobility they didn’t have at one time.

Friday’s dance at East Wind in Wading River brought close to 500 individuals who have received hip and knee replacements for dance lessons from Alfonso Triggiani, the host of TV’s “Touch Dancing,” which has been on air since 1990.

According to PBMC’s Director of Rehabilitation Paul Furbeck, 2014 has been a banner year for the hospital’s joint replacement program, with close to 1,000 operations done so far. In total, PBMC has completed around 4,000 joint replacements.

Ninety-six-year-old Betty Negro of Riverhead said she has been one of those patients. After getting her hip replaced originally 15 years ago, she had it repaired at PBMC in 2011 and said it’s been “great” since.

Betty Negro, who had her hip repaired at PBMC in 2011, with PBMC Health president and CEO Andy Mitchell. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch)
Betty Negro, who had her hip repaired at PBMC in 2011, with PBMC Health president and CEO Andy Mitchell. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch)
Close to 500 joint replacement patients showed up to the 10th annual reunion dance and barbecue on Friday. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch)
Close to 500 joint replacement patients showed up to the 10th annual reunion dance and barbecue on Friday. (Courtesy photo: Jim Lennon/PBMC )