Retired NJ Teacher, Student Reunite Four Decades Later Thanks To Odd Surgery Coincidence
MOORESTOWN, N.J. (CBS) -- A retired Haddon Heights teacher and a former student never expected to have the same surgery with the same surgeon on the same day. Randi Rautanen and Carmen Pirollo are laughing a lot for people healing from surgery.
When Pirollo reached over to tap Rautanen's knee, she flinched, then burst out laughing.
"Thank you, that was my bad knee," Rautanen said, as they both roared with laughter.
The two have known each other since 1972. Pirollo was 23 and in his first teaching job, instructing sixth grade at Seventh Avenue Elementary School in Haddon Heights. One of his first students was Rautanen.
"'Wow, a man teacher,'" Rautanen remembers thinking. "We'd never had a man teacher."
"It was such a wonderful experience," Pirollo said, "and I still see so many of them from that first year and now, 48 years later."
Rautanen and Pirollo stayed in touch. Pirollo even taught one of Rautanen's sons.
Earlier this year, Rautanen invited Pirollo to lunch. He said he couldn't. He was scheduled for knee replacement surgery.
"And she said, 'You are? When?' I said, '9/11.' She said, 'So am I,'" Pirollo said.
"I said, 'That's remarkable.' I said, 'What knee?' She said, 'The left.'
"I said, 'So am I! What doctor?' 'Dr. Schoifet.'
"I said, 'This is weird,'" Pirollo said.
"All I could think of was, 'This will be fun. I actually have someone I know doing it with me!'" Rautanen said.
Wednesday, Sept. 11, Rautanen and Pirollo had their surgeries at Virtua Joint Replacement Institute in Voorhees. Rautanen first, Pirollo second.
"I actually saw them wheel you past my room," Rautanen told Pirollo. "I said, 'I think that, that's him, that's him!' and waved."
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Pirollo and Rautanen have kept in touch, sharing videos of their progress.
Their surgeon, Dr. Scott Schoifet, medical director at Virtua Joint Replacement Institute, said they're doing well.
"I did have identical twins have the surgery once," Schoifet said. "This might be the first time I've had two people, one teacher, one student."
"All of these serendipitous things or karma of whatever just came together and here we are, together," Pirollo said.
