As a single mother with two sons at home,
Maritza was struggling. The prosthetic hip she had was causing more pain and
problems than it was helping and she was rapidly cutting her weekly work hours
at a part-time cleaning job because she couldn’t endure the pain. Maritza
didn’t know what to do as it was becoming more and more difficult to provide
for her family. By the time she found Community Health Connect she had stopped
working completely and relying on her church and network of friends to get by.
Maritza was connected with Dr Richard Jackson
for an evaluation. He told her that surgery was the only option for her hip,
which was disheartening to Maritza who still vividly remembered her previous
surgery. Forty-five year old Maritza was
not ready for a second hip replacement. She still had memories of her earlier
painful surgery running through her mind. She remembered the year it took her
to recuperate, and the minimal pain it relieved. She could not afford to go a whole year
without working, let alone the other needs that would go unmet if she were in
bed for that long. Dr Jackson explained that the process would be very
different than the one she had experienced prior, and that she would be back on
her feet in a few weeks, with almost normal movement in six months. He went out
of his way to reassure her of the developments that had been made since her
last surgery and he kindly gave her the name of one of his patients, a woman
who had undergone the same procedure almost a year before, who could share
details about recuperation time, physical therapy, and the emotional strain of
such a procedure.
Maritza underwent surgery in October of 2007, today
she is walking, even running a bit here and there—a feat she never would have
dreamed possible a few years ago. She has no physical difficulties working her
full-time stocking job at Wal-Mart, and is now more easily able to provide for
her two sons at home. The surgery went well, and the recovery was much shorter
and less painful than she had imagined—just as Dr Jackson had promised. Maritza
is overjoyed with the state of her health and is very appreciative to all of
those involved in her care. She gratefully thanks Dr Jackson for donating his
surgical services, the physical therapists at Central Utah Clinic for the many
donated sessions, Intermountain Healthcare for their donated facility and care,
and her great friends and church members who helped babysit kids, bring
dinners, and help her maneuver about the house while she was recuperating.
Maritza has a great
spirit and positive attitude. She has an infectious smile and is a joy to work
with. We were happy for the help we could coordinate for her, and for the
providers who donated their valuable services.
