Joao Silva Doing Exceptional Following Major Reconstructive Surgery

 

By Donald R. Winslow
© 2011 News Photographer magazine

WASHINGTON, DC (April 8, 2011) – Photojournalist Joao Silva is doing exceptionally well this morning following extensive reconstructive surgery at the hands of three teams of specialized surgeons yesterday at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, his boss New York Times assistant managing editor Michele McNally told News Photographer magazine this morning.

In October 2010, war photographer Silva, 44, lost both legs when he stepped on a landmine while on patrol with American soldiers near Arghandab in southern Afghanistan. He also suffered extensive internal injuries in the blast.

"The three surgeons came out beaming, just beaming," McNally said. "They said that it went way better than they had expected. They were planning on a six- to eight-hour procedure, and it wasn't even five."

McNally said the surgery to repair Silva's abdominal injuries went smoothly because the doctors found exactly what they were expecting to find, with no surprises, and Silva's wounds were less complicated than they had feared.

"Joao is in such a great mood now," McNally said. "Before the surgery, he was walking around on his prosthetic legs and telling me, 'You know, if it was just my legs I'd be out of here already.' But now this surgery went so well, he's already talking about wanting to start traveling soon to New York, and to get out more, it's just great."

McNally said Silva now can clearly see that he'll be back working as a photojournalist again in the future, which he knew would be determined by the success of this reconstruction attempt.

"He is so much stronger," McNally said. "Even the doctors noticed how strong he is, and they said they usually don't have patients who are this healthy, and this strong, with these kinds of wounds. And that's saying something for a guy who's idea of breakfast is Marlboro cigarettes and a Red Bull."

McNally said some Marines who came to visit Silva in hospital actually brought him a carton of Marlboros and cans of Red Bull. "His wife took it away immediately," she said.

In the past, Silva has had a bit of a problem coming out of anesthesia after surgery, but McNally said not this time. "He woke up and said he felt a bit banged up, but no other problems."

When Silva was brought into a military hospital in Kandahar after the landmine flayed his legs, he was near death. A photojournalist, Linda Davidson of The Washington Post, happened to be there doing a story at the medical facility. Davidson shot pictures of Silva while he was in the worst of his condition, and Silva has been begging McNally to see the pictures.

"I've been holding them all this time, I didn't think he was ready to see them yet. There are some that are really beautiful but also gruesome. Yesterday, I thought he was ready and he really wanted to see them, so I showed him. And he loved them. He loved her captions. There's one picture, where an Air Force chaplain is with him, he was really near death, and it's such a beautiful picture. And he saw that, and now he wants to get in touch with the chaplain. Now he realizes exactly where he came from, seeing it in these pictures, and just how far he's come."

Silva is widely popular on the hospital ward with the staff, McNally says, and has made many friends at the medical center.

"Whenever he's moved to a different room, the people who have been taking care of him always come find him to see him. He's amazing."

 

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