Nearly four years after first being admitted to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi | North Central Bronx, Rohmearo McFarlane has made a full recovery following an injury sustained at home while recovering from another traumatic injury.
As a way of thanking the staff members who assisted him, McFarlane, a career painter, created portraits of the three doctors who performed his surgeries: Dr. Moshe Szlechter, Dr. John McNelis and Dr. Laurie Hirsh.
In November 2020, was in his home country of Jamaica, en route to paint a mural in Kingstown, when he was caught in the crossfire of a gunfight, sustaining gunshot wounds to his face, abdomen, arms and back. He also had shrapnel fragments hit him in his eye, wrist, elbow and other areas. He was hospitalized for 21 days, receiving emergency surgery and inpatient care. His injuries left him with impaired vision and unable to use his right arm, which he used to paint. He also had to wear a colostomy bag.
McFarlane decided to temporarily relocate to the Bronx shortly after being released from the hospital so he could be closer to his family, who would be able to assist him as he recovered from his injuries. In July 2021, McFarlane suffered another injury that required hospitalization. He slipped and fell while taking a shower, injuring his abdomen and colostomy bag.
His aunt urged him to go to the local emergency room at North Central Bronx Hospital, where the staff knew his injuries were extensive enough to require multiple surgeries and extensive care. He was then taken to meet with surgeons to talk about the comprehensive care necessary for his recovery.
Following an initial treatment, McFarlane was examined by Jacobi Hospital Ophthalmologist Dr. Moshe Szlechter, who discovered metal in his left eye that was causing a cataract and intraocular inflammation, contributing to McFarlane’s diminished vision. Dr. Szlechter performed two surgeries on McFarlane. The first was a cataract surgery with an intraocular lens implant to help improve his vision. The other procedure involved removing the bullet fragments from the eyeball. Both operations helped fully restore McFarlane’s vision.
“Rohmearo is a kind person who had his entire life upended in an instant,” Dr. Szlechter said. “His vision was essential not only to his life and livelihood, but it’s also essential to pursue his passion. I’m thrilled the operations were such a success, so he can pursue what he loves to do.”
After undergoing the eye surgeries, McFarlane visited NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi | North Central Bronx Chair of Surgery Dr. John McNelis, who told him that his colostomy bag posed a potential danger for infection. Dr. McNelis, who saw McFarlane during his initial emergency room visit, told him that another operation would make it so that the colostomy bag would likely not be needed.
An additional operation was performed on McFarlane’s abdominal area to tighten the abdominal wall, connect his colon and repair his intestine. As a result, McFarlane no longer needed the colostomy bag. One year after this surgery, Dr. McNelis was able to repair McFarlane’s complex hernia and make additional repairs to the abdominal wall with the help of the da Vinci Surgical Robot.
“Situations like this renew your faith in people. When you see what people face and the odds they overcome, it’s easy to get cynical in today’s world, but Rohmearo and his family were inspirational,” Dr. McNelis said. “His portrait will hang in my office as long as I’m here.”
The NYC Health + Hospital medical team that assisted McFarlane throughout his surgeries recommended intensive physical therapy to help in the recovery. Since many of his injuries affected his dominant side, McFarlane was hindered in his artistic abilities. A nerve conduction study was performed to assess how his muscles and pathways were functioning. The results led the medical team to recommend he get two procedures on his elbow, wrist and hand.
Jacobi Hospital Orthopedic Hand Surgeon Dr. Laurie Hirsh led these two surgeries, which took place in August 2022 and July 2023. The first surgery involved her removing shrapnel and past prominent hardware from the right elbow, allowing for further motion there. More bullet fragments and hardware were also removed from the head and upper extremities during this procedure. The second surgery saw Dr. Hirsh undertake a tendon transfer to restore the thumb and finger’s ability to extend. Tendons that typically aid the wrist were rerouted to power the tendons that straighten the fingers and thumb.
“It is gratifying to help restore Rohmearo’s ability to pursue his passion – painting,” Dr. Hirsh said. “To see his artwork now after his surgeries shows the important impact we as physicians can have in healing our patients.”
These last two surgeries helped McFarlane regain his ability to paint with his right hand. He was also able to resume various other activities, including lifting weights and exercising.
“Jacobi is an amazing place, not only are the doctors great, but they are great for being caring people who looked out for me as I continued on my recovery process,” McFarlane said. “Recovery is a constant process; you have to push past the pain. I’m always working on my physical therapy, and my transformation is still ongoing.”
