Patient Testimonials

Having a partial right knee replacement in September, 2017 done by Dr. Comfort and going through the EXCEL Program was a wonderful experience. A previous physician would not even consider a partial replacement. Dr. Comfort assured me this was the right decision and I have no regrets! Using the EXCEL Program, upon discharge from surgery center, you go to a health care facility in a private suite where you have a RN that takes care of you until discharged the next day. During that time you have several sessions of PT and are up walking with a walker. Dr. Comfort checks in on you that morning. When you leave you are feeling confident to go home and work on your recovery. Dr. Comfort, David, and Molly are all so reassuring, kind, and patient. I can now lift up my grandchildren without fear my knee will buckle under me. This was definitely the best medical experience I have ever had.  I highly recommend them!

Dr. Hunt, this may seem too corny to endure, but I’ll risk it.  I find myself struggling to express the depth of my gratitude to you and the team of caring professionals you have gathered around you for the fifteen years or more you have added to my life. When I decided to go to you to replace my knees late in 2008, I was seriously facing the loss of most of my outdoor activities. In January, 2009, you and your team replaced both of my knees, and in two surgeries during 2011 you also replaced both of my shoulders. Now you have given me a new right hip.  Because of your work, I have continued to backpack with three generations of family members for days on end on Isle Royale every fall (sometimes twice in a season). Early last spring I backpacked about forty miles of the Superior Hiking trail with a friend. Libby and I have been able to tour the Peruvian Amazon and the Peruvian sacred valley, and then spend a week on the Galápagos Islands. As a pastor I made multiple trips to partner congregations in El Salvador and in Nigeria. Twice I’ve made it to Alaska, most recently with Libby for a stay with friends in Halibut Cove on Kachemak Bay. Two years ago Libby and I toured Iceland, reunited with her relatives in Sweden and with my relatives and friends in Norway. And for the last three years I’ve led delegations to explore how migratory birds connect Minnesota and Nicaragua.  All this scattered among countless forays across Minnesota and Wisconsin to go birding in remote wild corners of our region.

I only hope this little album of memories gives you some sense of my gratitude to you for your work and for my privilege of having access to this health care (when so many across the world do not).

Blessings, Keith O.

My knee replacement with Dr. Kelly and the EXCEL program is one of the best medical experiences I’ve ever had. From the check- in at the surgery center to the discharge at York Gardens, everything was just wonderful. The staff is excellent. Every single doctor, nurse, therapist, and aide was a highly skilled professional who delivered such great care. I never sat around waiting for help – there was always someone right there when I needed them. There was also really good communication between all the team members so they were always up to speed on what was happening with me. There were so many small details that added up to big differences. Like no hospital gowns (!) I was given comfortable athletic wear instead. And I had the same two nurses the whole time at the rehab facility – one of them even came along in the van to pick me up from the surgery center. I felt so well cared for every step of the way. I would recommend this program to anybody who is considering surgery. It was truly outstanding.

I have been going to the BWCA (Boundary Waters Canoe Area) since 1964 when my father took me on my first trip to this magical, wonderful place. Since then I have made 25-30 trips back to the BWCA, recently with my sons and nephews. To say that it has a special place in my heart is a gross understatement. 2 years ago I came off the last portage in near tears, suffering from arthritic pain. Since then, Dr. Owen O’Neill, Dr. Ed Kelly and their expert staffs have replaced 2 shoulders, 2 hips and 1 knee. The attached photo was taken earlier this year and shows me and my team (including my youngest son and nephew) over-looking “our unnamed lake” in the BWCA. We traveled over 10 miles to get there, crossing 3 lakes, 4 portages and 3 rivers. My sincere thanks to Dr. Kelly, Dr. O’Neill and their expert staffs for giving me this important piece of my life back! I strongly recommend them both and encourage you to schedule a visit if you are in pain like I was!

On a scale of 1 to 10, Dr. Kelly deserves an 11. Two years ago I had total shoulder replacement. This past May I had total knee replacement. Today I am playing tennis with my grandchildren with an arm and a knee that move as normal as anyone could expect for someone 70 years old. Having been active all my life, Dr. Kelly literally gave me my life back as I had known it. I am very grateful for his skill, and most especially for his insistence that I trust him in the rehab period. I did and the rest is very good history.

I’ve known Dr. Edward Kelly for almost 10 years, in that time he has replaced both shoulders and both knees. Dr. Kelly is not only a skilled surgeon, he is a humanist. He cares about the whole patient and is skilled at listening to his patient’s needs on both physical and emotional level. He makes you feel as if you are his only patient and considering the size of his practice is a feat of its own. He has given me back my active life — my osteoarthritis limited my physical activity and in general everyday activities. The surgeries were very successful — I have full range of motion on both shoulders and both knees. I thank Ed, Kaici and his whole team for great care and caring.

My experience with TCO was a very positive experience. I first went there in January of 2014 when I fell at work and tore my rotator cuff. Dr. Kelly was my physician. I had surgery in February to repair the tear. I shared with Dr. Kelly that I had planned to get my knee replacement in the spring and was disappointed that it wouldn’t happen. His reply was, “oh we can do that.” He told me he also did knees and depending on my recovery from shoulder surgery, it could probably be done in May.

Well, I had a great recovery and while still getting physical therapy, discussed having the knee replacement done.

The staff was very excited to tell me that I would qualify to go through the EXCEL program. Not having to be in the hospital was very appealing and having a class about the procedure was very helpful. York Gardens, where you go for recovery, was a beautiful and very comfortable facility!

The surgery went well, and it was very comforting to have Dr. Kelly and Lindsay in the operating room. Going to the room at York Gardens was so nice and the staff there was very helpful and pleasant.

The physical therapist was patient but yet encouraged me to do what I needed to do. The food was very tasty. I felt I was in an apartment and not in a hospital room.

I would, and have, recommended the EXCEL program to people who need a knee replacement. I appreciate all the help I got from all of the staff. From the appointment desk to the physical therapists, and everything in between, I am very happy with the experience and outcome!