ToquiNotes: Jerome Axton Among First in Country Set to have Johns Hopkins University Surgical Procedure
By Jeff Toquinto on August 17, 2024 from ToquiNotes
Between 2014 and 2020, Bridgeport’s Jerome Axton was piling up some pretty big numbers. Had it been for something on the basketball court, or on the labor front, I imagine he would not have minded.
Between those six years, Axton had dozens of surgeries. When you have that many surgeries, it is okay to lose track of the actual number.
“It was a lot,” said Axton.
It was all the result of what he found out back in 2014. It was that year when Axton was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, which is a bone cancer more commonly associated with teenagers and rapid growth.
The surgery to remove the cancer was a success. The cancer has been in remission now for a decade.
The problems stemmed from what came after the surgery. Infections and other issues as a result of the surgery plagued Axton. Constantly, as he tried to get his leg back to full strength, there would be a setback that required another surgery.
Eventually, it got to a point in 2020 the toll became too much on two fronts. First, he saw the anguish in his family and friends with every 
surgery that came his way. Second, the pain was becoming an almost unmanageable issue for him.
surgery that came his way. Second, the pain was becoming an almost unmanageable issue for him.
It led to a decision in 2020 that he said, given the circumstances, he does not regret. He opted to have a good portion of his left leg amputated. That surgery was a success. Many of you may know about some of this as his journey battling cancer has been documented in this blog.
It has been four years, however, since we last talked about Axton. Since then, he has gone with the prosthetic and has had just one surgery – and he is about to have another, which is the reason for this blog. We will get back to that in a minute.
His most recent surgery was “just a few months back,” Axton said. He said it was to deal with an issue that is often the body’s natural response to an amputation.
“When a bone is cut off for an amputation, the body thinks it’s broken. If you’re a healthy person, your body will try to grow the bone back because it thinks there is a crack in the bone,” said Axton. “When there is nothing to heal, what the body does creates a composite. With me, and the end of my leg where it was amputated, it looked like a softball, and it rubbed on the prosthetic.”
The growth, he said, will likely continue. That is one reason (not the main one) for why Axton is having another surgery. This one is not only a little more intense than rubbing down the bone growth that he had a few months back, but one that is extremely rare.
Getting to this point, however, is a result of something a lot of amputees have to deal with. And that is issues with the prosthetic Axton uses.
“If your weight fluctuates, even by the smallest amount, you have to sit higher or lower in a chair because your hips end up being out of balance. You basically never sit the same way and are constantly trying to figure out how to sit,” said Axton. “This surgery, if it works, will change that.”
The procedure he will undergo this coming Thursday, August 22, is called Osteointegration surgery. It is extremely rare. In fact, Axton will be among the first to few to ever have the procedure.
“My doctor told me I’m either the 21st or 22nd person to have this procedure in the country, or maybe the world; I can’t remember,” said Axton. “It is one he’s been involved with for a few years and one he has wanted me to be a candidate for, but my insurance would not cover it.”
The doctor is one Axton trusts completely. It is Dr. Brock Lindsey, formerly at WVU Medicine where he provided treatment for musculoskeletal cancer patients such as Axton. He has since moved up in the medical world where he is working for Johns Hopkins, and 
he has done all of Axton’s surgeries from major ones to cleaning up infections.
he has done all of Axton’s surgeries from major ones to cleaning up infections.
“He has talked about this new procedure for years and said I was the perfect candidate for it, but the insurance just kept denying it,” said Axton. “Finally, it’s in a trial phase and that’s how we got around the insurance.”
The surgery itself will last between four and six hours. Axton said the process will see the medical team drill into his femur and, essentially, put a pin on it that will protrude from the stub of his amputated leg. Once it is healed, which will take about 12 weeks, Axton will begin to put weight on with his prosthetic device.
“That is what the pin is for. It takes away needing suction requirement and the prosthetic basically clips on to the pin,” said Axton. “It’s quicker than me now having to put up to five socks around my stump to get it comfortable enough to put the prosthetic on. It also eliminates issues with any weight fluctuation.”
Surgery is not without risks. With it being a trial that will eventually include about 100 patients, and without parts of it having FDA approval, there is uncertainty around it.
“The medical staff will be keeping a close watch on all of the people in the trial,” said the 32-year-old Axton. “In the group of 20 or so, the numbers have been good, which is good because when you have something protruding from your skin you worry about infection and that was the biggest problem I’ve had. The good news is that it’s low, less than 10 percent, and I believe it was all treatable. I don’t believe there has been a situation with anyone going septic.
“The thing is, if this doesn’t work, I’ll go back to how it is now,” he continued. “It’s not comfortable, but I can be a family man. That’s why I am doing this. I want to be better and being with my family and friends.”
The family is the key part. Axton and his wife, the former Sarah Gould, have two children. The couple’s two boys are 17-month-old Louis Valentino “Val” Axton and six-month-old Beau Anthony Axton.
“Those two are my motivation. And Sarah is awesome in just holding everything together,” said Axton. “She has the mom part down better than I could have ever dreamed. We have a good thing and if this can make it better, that’s why I’ll do it. Honestly, if there’s something I can do in the future, I’ll do that, too. I’ll go as far as medicine will take me because they’re worth it.”
Editor's Note: Top photo is from 2020 shortly after Jerome Axton had his amputation surgery. The next three photos show Axton with his two sons. Bottom photo is the reason Axton says he keeps trying to better himself, his wife Sarah, and the two boys that make up his family and his entire world. All photos submitted courtesy of Jerome Axton.
Leave a Comment
Log in or create an account to post a comment.