Persistence and Fingertip Regeneration
This CNN article demonstrates the sort of willful persistence required to learn about and gain access to newer medical technologies that are not yet widely available: "The doctor who was on call at the emergency room told me there was no way he could reattach [the tip of] my pinky. I didn't like that, so I asked to see a specialist ... Eventually, Kulkarni made an appointment with Dr. Michael Peterson, an orthopedic surgeon in Davis. At first, [he] was hesitant to try tissue regeneration since he hadn't done it before, but she gave him some research materials, and she says eventually he agreed to try it.
The therapy involved cleaning out the finger and removing scar tissue - a process called debridement - and then dipping her finger into MatriStem wound powder. After seven weeks of treatment, her fingertip grew back. ... What I found out is that even though I like my doctors, I don't have to take every recommendation they give me. I can do my own research. ... Some doctors are more out-of-date or up-to-date than others. ... Imagine if I hadn't pursued other options because I was worried about what other people think - I didn't want to live with that regret." Fingertips are known to sometimes regenerate in very young children, but only in recent years has any methodology been shown to work in at least some adults.
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/09/09/pinky.regeneration.surgery/