One thing can lead to another, which seemed to be the case for Zakary Kriener of Ossian. In January of 2022, he took a nasty fall from a ladder that shattered his right heel bone. During recovery from surgery and throughout the months of healing, Zak could not put weight his right foot. Though he recovered from the break, his gait remained a bit altered in favor of his left side.
Zak also has Type 1 diabetes and has diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage) in his feet. “It was the perfect storm,” says Zak. “The consequences of the break were significant. Because of the neuropathy in my feet, I didn’t know a sore was developing on the bottom of my left heel. By the time I felt it, I had a wound in my left foot that wouldn’t heal.”
Thomas Marquardt, D.P.M., Mayo Clinic Health System podiatrist at WinnMed says, “Diabetic foot ulcers are chronic, non-healing wounds that can easily become infected. Even a small cut or blister can develop into a foot ulcer because the skin of a person with diabetes has reduced ability to heal itself.”
Zak’s initial outpatient treatment for the foot ulcer seemed to be heading in the right direction, but after two months of being homebound and non-weight bearing, a second wound in Zak’s right heel developed and both became infected. His wounds were severe, and he was hospitalized to treat them, which included surgical debridement and antibiotics for the infection.
“Diabetic foot ulcers can result in lower limb amputation in people with diabetes,” says Dr. Marquardt. “Foot care is of the utmost importance, and the availability of advanced wound care can improve the lives and outcomes for people in Zak’s situation.”
As timing would have it, WinnMed was on the brink of opening the first advanced wound center in the region – a full-service specialty that would provide all the latest treatments, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy, to patients. Zak was the Wound Center’s first patient.
“I was discharged from the hospital on a Sunday and the next day, I was the first-ever patient in the Wound Center,” says Zak. “Bethany Stevens worked with me, sometimes at daily appointments, to treat my wounds. She used all kinds of treatments and they slowly started to heal.”
Bethany Stevens, ARNP, has specialized in wound care since 2015. She says, “The skin is an organ that tells us when something is off balance in our body. In Zak’s case, it was responding to unstable blood sugar levels and excess pressure. So, in order to promote faster healing and prevent additional wounds from developing, Zak would have to get his diabetes under control.”
Working with a team of medical specialists determined to support him, Zak, who is in his mid-30s and 6 feet, 8 inches tall, lost 60 pounds and dropped his A1C by four points. He accomplished this through making healthier food choices and using a new insulin pump to help stabilize his blood sugar levels. Zak says, “Had I taken diabetes care more seriously earlier in my life, some of this might have been prevented. It was a total wake-up call.”
Zak continued to heal, but the journey was long. The following spring he attended his first stock car race independently to resume his career in-person as a sportswriter and photographer. “I had tried to cover all my teams and races remotely over the past year; there is nothing better than experiencing sporting events and the races in person,” says Zak.
Zak knows he has to keep his diabetes in control for him to maintain a good quality of life. “My fiancé, Libby Manning, was with me throughout the hospitalizations, treatments, appointments and dressing changes. My friends helped me when I was homebound by keeping me company, playing video games with me and helping with household needs. My family stepped in whenever I needed something and to keep my spirits up. My entire primary, specialty, hospital and wound care team kept me on track as I healed. I am motivated to stay healthy, not only for myself, but for everyone who supported me.”
