Surgery

Newport Harbor High Coach Bill Barnett has said the 2011-12 girls' water polo team was his most cohesive unit and he has been very proud of the squad that won the CIF Southern Section Division I title. But he can't celebrate with his girls Sunday night at a CIF banquet. That's because the legendary coach is recovering from his third back surgery, which he had three weeks ago. Barnett, 69, who lives in Laguna Beach, says he will be fine and plans to be on the pool deck when practices begin next week.

UC Irvine basketball player Jeff Gloger, who will be a senior next season, is expected to undergo surgery within the next few weeks after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during individual workouts May 25. He is scheduled to have the surgery shortly after final exams next week. A 6-foot-4 wing, Gloger became the Anteaters' career leader in steals with 167 after recording 32 last season. He averaged 9.6 points and shot 50.5 percent from the field.

U.S. Rep. John Campbell will be out of commission for about a month after undergoing surgery Thursday morning to remove part of his colon. “In car terms (I am ever the car guy after all), my muffler is bad and I’m going to be straight-piped,” Campbell disclosed in a blog entry on his website Thursday. The congressman worked in the automotive industry before beginning his political career as a state assemblyman in 2000. Campbell, who serves on the House Budget Committee and chairs the Budget and Spending Task Force of the Republican Study Committee, will not attend governmental hearings or vote while recovering from surgery, according to his website.

Costa Mesa construction worker Don Peterson always knew he would have to have surgery to fix an injured shoulder. With no health insurance to cover the procedure, he left the how and when up to a higher power. “God will find a way,” he told the Daily Pilot two weeks ago, when the newspaper first told his story. Despite a torn right rotator cuff, Peterson traveled to Pascagoula, Miss., earlier this month with a local church group to repair homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian placed in the top 10% of hospitals nationwide in several areas of care in a new healthcare study released Monday. The 10th annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study also ranked Hoag in the top 5% of hospitals for surgery and treatment of skeletal and muscular problems and stroke treatment. Hoag placed in the top 10% for coronary interventions, general surgery and critical care. Hoag credits its staff’s dedication to excellence for its high-ranking scores, said Jack Cox, Hoag chief quality officer.

Paul Orris, Corona del Mar High’s athletic director, is recovering from brain aneurysm surgery at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, and Jeff Orris said Friday that his father might be released this weekend. Orris, 60, visited the hospital Tuesday after experiencing dizziness, said Brent Ogden, a Corona del Mar alumnus and friend of Orris for almost 40 years. Jeff said the non-emergency surgery, performed Wednesday morning, required cutting into his father’s skull at the right base of the neck to stop the blood flow into the aneurysm.

Four-year-old Jesus didn’t speak much English, and 17-year-old Maya Ben-Ezer didn’t speak much Spanish, but they didn’t really need to. The little boy awoke after having his ears operated on in a hospital in Barinas, Venezuela, and recognized Maya immediately as the Huntington Beach student who saw him through the many stages of his surgery. Maya is one of two student volunteers on a mission with Operation Smile, an international organization helping children in need of corrective surgeries for cleft lip, cleft palette and other facial abnormalities.

Costa Mesa resident Peggy Parsons can’t wait to drive a car again, watch a movie, or see her 17-year-old son perform in a school play. Newport Beach eye surgeon Gregg Feinerman operated on Parsons free of charge Tuesday, removing a cataract from her right eye. The surgery will allow 62-year-old Parsons to see clearly for the first time in several years. Vision in Parsons’ left eye has been impaired since she was a child, but she has steadily relied more on her weaker left eye since being diagnosed with a cataract in the right one two years ago. “I can’t wait to see Christmas lights,” Parsons said Tuesday morning, clad in surgical scrubs as she sat on an operating table at a Newport Beach clinic before the operation.

In February of 2008, Sarah Keddington went under. For nearly six hours, the Corona del Mar High senior lay on a hospital bed as doctors cut into her back, trying to repair the damage. Her spine had been taken over by scoliosis and all that was left was an S-curve and nightmares that a promising running career could be over. But Keddington never wanted it to end. As a sophomore she wanted to return to the track and somehow to the cross country course. “I think the easy way out would’ve been just to give up, but I didn’t want to take the easy way,” said Keddington, a runner on the CdM girls’ cross country team that will compete in the CIF State Championships Saturday at Fresno’s Woodward Park.

A Newport Beach plastic surgeon will give some South American children something to smile about starting Tuesday. Dr. Mark A. Anton, along with Operation Smile, will be in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, for two weeks to perform free facial surgeries on young patients in need there. Since 1982, the Norfolk, Va.-based Operation Smile has performed more than 200,000 free surgical procedures on children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. Anton has been involved with the nonprofit since 1989, when he served a facial fellowship in Norfolk.

Months ago, a pelican was spotted in Irvine tangled in fishing line, hooks and a lure. Rescuers said the bird was wrapped like a pretzel as they worked for days to free and treat her. This week, after surgeries to rebuild her beak and mend fractures, Nigel the pelican - or Nigelina, as some began calling the bird after he was discovered to be a female - was released into the wild. FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version incorrectly identified Nigel, or Nigelina to some, as a male pelican.

Briefs 'Eaters bring on Bibona Former All-American, 24, recently released by Cards, will be named UCI pitching coach today. Danny Bibona, who was twice named Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year and a two-time All-American for UC Irvine, will be announced Thursday as the Anteaters' pitching coach. Bibona, 24, replaces Jason Dietrich, who left UCI last month to become pitching coach at Cal State Fullerton. Bibona posted a 31-7 record in four seasons, including 30-6 with a 2.74 earned-run average in his final three years at UCI. He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals organization after being drafted in the eighth round in 2010.

Harry Dill is no stranger to miracles. Less than nine months ago he defied the odds and overcame adversity in the form of a brain tumor. So when he stepped to the plate with the score tied, a runner on and two out in the final inning, he was ready to produce a baseball miracle. Dill delivered something out of a Disney movie. The 13-year-old blasted his third home run of the game to lead the Newport Beach Major Division All-Stars past Lake Forest/Saddleback, 12-10, in the first game of the District 55 All-Star tournament Saturday.

There wasn't a big match to be played on Tuesday, but a member of the UC Irvine men's volleyball team remained nervous for an important event dealing with the Anteaters. If you were at the celebration ceremony to honor the UCI team's national championship you wouldn't notice he was a bit anxious. But you could understand his excitement. There he was, Kevin Freeman, in his No. 1 gold jersey standing with his teammates at UCI. It was a big day for him. "I was happy to be with everybody," Kevin said a day later.

Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli has been named the Orange Empire Conference's Male-Sport Coach of the Year, as voted by conference administrators. "It's quite an honor," said Altobelli, who is in his 20th year. "It's always nice to be recognized by your peers for the work you've been doing - especially when they work just as hard. We've had quite a remarkable season and hopefully, it will continue for another couple of weeks. " The Pirates (33-4-1), ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 1 by a national poll, are hosting one of the Southern California Super Regional playoffs this weekend.

Newport Harbor High Coach Bill Barnett has said the 2011-12 girls' water polo team was his most cohesive unit and he has been very proud of the squad that won the CIF Southern Section Division I title. But he can't celebrate with his girls Sunday night at a CIF banquet. That's because the legendary coach is recovering from his third back surgery, which he had three weeks ago. Barnett, 69, who lives in Laguna Beach, says he will be fine and plans to be on the pool deck when practices begin next week.

At what price is beauty? One of science fiction's most enduring themes involves a future world where everyone looks perfect but no one is happy. One old "Twilight Zone" episode involves a young woman refusing to select the "model" body in which she'll spend the rest of her life. Another takes place in a hospital ward where doctors struggle to transform the criminally homely. It turns out that these poor creatures are quite glamorous by our standards and the "normal" folks rather repulsive, but the point's the same.

This is a story about a family crisis, medical professionals who showed the care and professionalism we all desire but don't always see, and a boy at the center of it all who defied the odds and then wondered what all the fuss was about. The boy in question is 12-year-old Harrison Dill of Newport Beach, a sixth-grade student at Anderson Elementary. Harry is a bright kid who likes to read, excels at school and loves baseball. He's tall for his age, but his aw-shucks grin and slightly mischievous green eyes betray his youth.

Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli was resting comfortably at Hoag Hospital Thursday night after undergoing open heart surgery earlier to repair a weakened valve, said his brother, Tony Altobelli. John Altobelli, 48, preparing for his 20th season at the helm after a program-record 453 victories and capturing the 2009 state championship, began experiencing shortness of breath last season. After many tests, the weak heart valve was determined to be the root of the problem.