SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A former South Dade Senior High School principal, who lost his legs after he was hit by a drunk driver, has opened a medical center in Southwest Miami-Dade.
Javier Perez could be seen standing tall as he walked 7News cameras through Modern Med Centers, Monday.
“Anything you can think of as a well being for a person, we’re going to provide,” Perez said.
The dream of opening the center was born on April 26, 2016. At the time, Perez was attending his son’s baseball game when a drunk driver lost control of her car, slammed her SUV through a park fence and pinned Perez underneath.
Perez lost both of his legs in the crash, and doctors did not expect him to survive.
“I’m getting around extremely well,” Perez said. “My physical therapy has gone from just doing simple things to riding a bicycle. I started to get on a treadmill now, which I’m hoping in two years, I’ll be running a 5K.”
Perez realized through the years of rehabilitation and hard work that there was more to his recovery than physical therapy.
“I had no energy to do anything, and there was a lot of concerns,” he said. “We decided to have my testosterone levels checked. Once we did, we realized I was extremely low. Once they started a program for me, we realized that the progress I was making was tremendous.”
His rehabilitation and therapy inspired Perez to open the office, and he hopes to help his patients return to a healthy lifestyle.
“We started putting a plan together of a place where we can service people — men and women — with deficiencies in hormones,” Perez said. “The physical therapy side, which is extremely important as well, and that’s how Modern Med Centers was born.”
His team of medical professionals will provide a variety of wellness services including physical therapy, IV and hormone therapies.
“I think it helps me to know that with the amount that helped me throughout this process, now I’m able to give a little bit back,” Perez said.
Perez admits the new venture is unusual for a former principal and educator.
“It’s a huge shift, but I’m an extremely passionate person,” he said. “I got together with some tremendous individuals in the medical field, and I believe that it’s something that helped me so much, and I have so much passion for that. I couldn’t wait to share it with the rest of the community.”
The grand opening of the new center is scheduled for Nov. 7.
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