Dan sharing a photo of him working at Ground Zero. He arrived to the scene in a shirt and shorts because it was his day off.
by a ‘cluster’ or run of headaches that
may last days to months,” Dr. Hirota
said. “Dan’s treatment protocol is quite
complicated. In actuality, he is being
followed for a total of four different
headache disorders, each with its own
treatment regimen. I view us as his
safety net. If his treatment regimen is not
working, we are ready to step in and help
out.”
And Dan’s Straub team is expanding.
When he began feeling persistent
pain in his knees, husband Jarret
recommended his classmate Dr. Cass
Nakasone. The Straub orthopedic
surgeon performed robotic knee surgery
on Dan. “The first week, I was already on
the walker bearing a little bit of weight
and by the middle of the second week,
I couldn’t wait to get rid of the walker,”
Dan said. “Between Dr. Nakasone and
my physical therapist, it’s phenomenal.
20
INSPIRE
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I’m having the other knee done next
year!” He’s even seeking a primary care
physician for regular checkups.
“I view us as his
safety net. If his
treatment regimen is
not working, we are
ready to step in and
help out.”
D R . B R A N D O N H I R O TA ,
N E U R O L O G I S T AT
STRAUB
All of the pain and challenges Dan
continues to struggle with have
inspired the firefighter to help others
through legislation. He often travels
to Washington, D.C., to advocate for
veterans’ bills, as well as for health and
compensation for the first responders
who found themselves on the front lines
of one of our nation’s biggest tragedies.
“One thing I ask people to know is
that we did our best to get everybody
back to their families,” Dan said. “We
did our best to get everybody out of
the buildings. We treated every set
of remains with the highest amount
of respect. We tried our best to get
everybody and I just hope everybody
knows that.”