In the fall of 2020, I was walking across my deck with an extension cord and tripped over the cord end. As I lay on the sidewalk assessing for possible damage, I rotated my leg left and right. Unfortunately, my right foot looked like it had quit, as my toes remained pointing skyward. I had made it to the age of 72 without breaking any bones. We were assigned to Dr. Ockuly and his team. My wife and I were introduced to Dani, who is Dr. Ockuly’s Care Coordinator. If we had any questions or concerns, Dani called back incredibly quickly and was very professional. If she didn’t have the answer, she found out and called us back promptly. During the consultation, we shared our faith life with Dr. Ockuly, who responded in kind. This deepened the relationship greatly and added significantly to the trust between patient and doctor.
Sometime after that, my wife was involved in a car accident. I drove to the emergency room and met her there after the EMTs had arrived. Lo and behold…she had unfortunately broken her arm and wrist. These were the first broken bones for her as well. During a break in the action, I slipped outside and left a message with Dani. She quickly called me back, and we scheduled an appointment with Dr. Ockuly again. I was so grateful to have his team help me get scheduled on the spot.
In my retirement, I took a job as a school bus driver. I am blessed with wonderful kids on my route, and they make me happy. One part of my job I did not like was taking the 200-yard walk from the base office to my bus, and the same walk again at the end of my shift. My arthritic knees made the journey so painful. This summer, Dr. Ockuly and his team replaced both knees. WOW! Though some discomfort remains, I am taking long, confident strides. At my follow-up appointment this week, I told Dr. Ockuly, “Thank you for using your God-given gifts to repair me so I could share my God-given gifts with others!” At that point, Dr. Ockuly offered me a tissue as I was starting to tear up! As I left, I thanked Dani profusely and received a hug from Annie, who invited us to her church to see their adoration chapel. My incisions are healing very well, and my final knee X-rays proved the surgery was perfect.
