Thank you for your service

KRMC Veteran Salute

At KRMC, we believe soldiers and their families should be revered for their sacrifice, courage and commitment to keeping our nation safe.

As we prepare for Veterans Day, we wanted to tell you about Manuel Perez. He’s a veteran and he’s also a   KRMC patient. Manuel came to us for stem cell therapy after playing sports, serving in the military and a lifetime of hard work caught up with him.

Manuel was raised in Kinsley, Kan., about 30 miles northeast of Dodge City, Kan. At 20-years-old, he was drafted and completed basic training at Fort Leonard   Wood, Mo. After that, he spent time at Fort Benning,   Ga., and at Fort Hood, Texas. Eventually, Manuel left   Texas and spent 21 days on a ship to Vietnam.

Manuel was responsible for keeping the Army’s communication secure during his time in Vietnam.

“I set up radio communications so all the camps could talk to each other and call for help if they were under fire.”

After ten months, Manuel returned to the U.S. and was on inactive duty for four years. “I was on standby and ready in case they needed me,” he said.

Manuel married his wife Marlyn once he was home and they started a family. He worked as a welder, and later was hired by the Kansas Department of Transportation where he cared for the state’s roadways.

“It was my job to make it safe for people to get around,” he said. “I took care of the state’s highways for 20 years, mowing grass, digging ditches and fighting snowstorms.”

After two decades with KDOT, Manuel retired and now works part-time driving auction cars. Marlyn retired as a bank teller and the couple moved to Salina, Kan., to be closer to their nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

“We’re both retired and we truly are living the dream,” he said.

Manuel is now in his 70s but said he started to have knee pain in his 50s – something we hear from a lot of our patients.

“I played basketball, baseball and football growing up. Plus, my dad made us do chores and maintain our family garden,” he said. “Eventually, it all started to take its toll on my body.”

To manage the pain, he used wraps and knee braces. Manuel also received cortisone shots but said he didn’t want to rely on those. Eventually, he came to KRMC for stem cell treatment to relieve his pain.

It’s been more than a year since Manuel had the treatment on his knees and he said they no longer bother him. “It’s [stem cell therapy] helped me get around a lot better than I used to,” he said. “I recently watched my grandson play basketball and I could go from bleacher-to-bleacher on the steps. I couldn’t do that before stem cell.”

Manuel said he’s glad he had stem cell therapy and offers this bit of advice to others thinking about the procedure: don’t wait.

“If your knees hurt, don’t prolong it,” he said. “Do it earlier, not later.”

Manuel, after the time you spent in service to our country, we’re glad we could offer you a service to keep you feeling good and enjoying retirement.

To all veterans, whatever the branch, whatever the rank, know we’ll raise our flags just a little higher on Veterans Day to say thanks for being one of the brave men and women who kept our nation safe.