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sjch.us•
In 1998,
Lynne Edwards, of Bakersfield, fell and
tore the cartilage that cushioned and stabilized
both knees. Surgery to repair the damage left her
with bone rubbing on bone. Her surgeon told
Lynne she’d eventually need both knees replaced
but encouraged her to wait. She was only 44, and
at the time, most knee replacements lasted just
10 to 15 years.
Soon, the pain of bone-on-bone robbed Lynne
of a normal life. She quit work. Barely able to
walk, she crawled up the stairs in her house.
Sunday school classmates in their 80s grabbed
I FEEL
LIKE A
chairs for her because she couldn’t stand. Her hus-
band and son helped her with most everything.
“I never dreamt life could get so hard,” Lynne
says. “I’ve gone through cancer, but this was
worse.”
A new knee, a new life
Lynne endured the pain for more than 17 years.
Finally, in December 2015, she had her right knee
replaced by Thomas Ferro, MD, at San Joaquin
Community Hospital (SJCH).
Just 15 minutes after being wheeled back into
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“I can’t thank the
staff at SJCH and
Dr. Ferro enough.
They’ve given me
a new life.”
—Lynne Edwards,
knee replacement recipient
her room after surgery, Lynne was walking, with
the help of a walker and a physical therapist. Less
than 24 hours later, she was climbing stairs. Three
days after surgery she walked five blocks—all
without pain.
“What a beautiful gift to be able to walk beside
my husband again,” she says. “I’ll be able to
dance at my son’s wedding. I feel like a bionic
woman.”
Lynne plans to have her left knee replaced soon.
She says: “I can’t thank the staff at SJCH and
Dr. Ferro enough. They’ve given me a new life.”
BIONIC WOMAN
Y O U + U S : O R T H O P E D I C S