When Ira Riklis was 15 years, he badly broke his leg on a family skiing vacation to France. The misadventure involved a trip to a hospital in the French Alps where he had surgery followed by a most painful flight back to the U.S. But the saga didn’t end there.
Once home, he was taken to NYU Medical, where doctors told him his leg was not healing properly. Without further treatment, he would have essentially been lame throughout the rest of his life. So once again, Ira Riklis went into surgery, this time to have his leg re-broken and re-set. The procedure turned out well, and he was able, eventually get back on the slopes for the sport he enjoys. But it could have turned out differently. He doesn’t know whether the quality of medical care has improved in France in the years since then, but he doesn’t want to find out. Plus why travel to Europe when Vail—one of the world’s best ski resort—is right here in the U.S.!