With a titanium plate in his jaw, Kelowna city Coun. Charlie Hodge says he feels like “the Bionic Man.”
Given his reference to the popular 1970’s television show The Six Million Dollar Man, it’s not clear if the attributes the show’s hero had will help Hodge when he returns to council.
Will his discussions at the council table be “better, stronger, faster?” to borrow a phase from the show.
Either way, it’s clear, according to Hodge, that his doctors were able do something else that the show proclaimed: They were able to rebuilt him. They had the technology.
Hodge is home after emergency surgery last week hospital that resulted in removal of part office jaw and replacement with a titanium plate. An infection that moved into his jaw after he had a severely impacted tooth removed several weeks ago and that lead to the medical treatment at KGH.
Hodge said he’s thrilled to be home but said his jaw will take a while to heal. The pate is held in with six screws and he had to have 200 stitches.
He thanked his doctors and the staff at Kelowna General Hospital, saying 100 years ago, if he had the same problem, he would now be dead.
“I marvel at what doctors can do these days,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
Hodge was released from hospital Tuesday afternoon.
“Let the healing begin,” said Hodge, who also writes a weekly column for the Capital News.
He vowed to return to the council as soon as possible.