A Firm Grip on Recovery

A 29-year-old Plantation resident injured his left hand in an everyday kitchen accident. Much to his surprise, his recovery required surgery and months of therapy.

The morning of April 6, 2026, William “Billy” Sadar, a healthcare recruiter, was reading his email on his phone while reaching for a glass coffee mug. The glass slipped out of his hand and, as he tried to catch it, it shattered and cut him deeply.

He was shocked and, although he didn’t feel the pain instantly, there was significant bleeding. Billy called for his wife, Sabrina, and they immediately headed for a clinic to get it stitched up. After the wound was closed, Billy could not bend his middle finger and began to realize the injury was worse than he wanted to believe.

Billy went to see two specialists and, after further tests, found out that two tendons in his hand had been cut, causing the loss of function. He chose to have a corrective procedure with Ayisha Livingstone, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon with the Broward Health Physician Group, who specializes in hand surgery.

“When I met Dr. Livingstone, she gave me exactly the information I was looking for,” said Billy. “I got a full breakdown of the injury, why my hand was the way it was and how she was going to fix it. The way she communicated made me feel comfortable and involved in the process.”

“Hand injuries involving severed tendons can cause a significant loss of hand function and require surgery,” said Dr. Livingstone. “The goal with an injury like Billy’s is a full-functional recovery, but it takes not only a successful surgery but successful therapy.”

One week after surgery, Billy began occupational therapy at Broward Health Medical Center with occupational therapist Lupe Yarborough (CHECK).

“She was amazing, building my confidence and pushing me to do more than I thought I could,” said Billy.

The progress felt slow at times, but Billy began to see small, incremental gains that encouraged him to trust the process.

He began seeing more significant improvements and returned to activities like opening his front door and walking his dog.

“The day I could grip a golf club again, that’s when I knew I was back,” said Billy.

Looking back on the ordeal, Billy says it motivates him to exercise and focus on his health and diet, because he never wants to be without 100% function again.

Five months after his injury, Billy was back to doing all his normal activities and said he’s incredibly grateful for the care he received at Broward Health.

“Broward Health brought me back to life,” said Billy. “It wasn’t just the standard procedure. When I felt frustrated about how a simple injury could cause such damage, or discouraged at the time and effort recovery took, I felt supported and cared for. They instilled confidence in me that I was going to get back to where I am today.”

To learn more about orthopedic care visit BrowardHealth.org/Orthopedics.