Kathie Young
“Dr. Leonard is the doctor I would want to work on any bone in my body. He is so meticulous and thorough. I trust him implicitly and would highly recommend him to anyone.”
When Kathie Young finally retired at 70, she didn’t love it, she was BORED! Animal lover Kathie is active at church, singing in the choir, loves to paint and garden, and has a lively social life with her group of 5 single women neighborhood friends –The Sisterhood of Disobedience- who stay out on their decks in the summer drinking wine and visiting… sometimes after the HOA 10:00 pm “curfew.” Even with all this, Kathie still wanted to work. She had already had a big corporate position, so she wanted a no-stress, fun job. “I took a sales associate position at Stein Mart, and I love it! I enjoy my co-workers and visiting with the customers; it’s great!”
One winter day while going to bible class, Kathie got out of the car, slipped and fell on black ice, and hit her head. She felt beat up but made it through the short class. After that, however, she was hesitant about attending the subsequent concert at the coliseum. On her way out, Kathie was visiting with a friend who was complaining about her hurting knees when Kathie suddenly experienced a sharp, debilitating pain in her own knee. “My friend thought I was joking with her, but it was real!” Kathie had had a total knee replacement many years ago and thought she would never have pain in that knee again. “I was miserable at the concert; I couldn’t wait to leave. When it was finally over, I needed help from 4 people to get me home. When I got there, I just collapsed.” When Kathie didn’t answer her phone the next day, her daughter came by to check on her and immediately called an ambulance to take Kathie to the ER.
The unconscious Kathie had a TERRIBLE staph infection which seemed to be worse around her artificial knee. Her infection was so bad that her life was in danger. “The ER doctors told my daughter that I might not survive, and if I did survive, I might lose my leg.” Kathie was put on intense medication to try to stop the infection. Her knee implant was removed, cleaned, and replaced to the extent possible, which the doctors thought would have a 50/50 chance of success. “Unfortunately, my knee swelled up with infection again and I was again admitted to the hospital. That is when Dr. Leonard started caring for me.”
To save her leg, Kathie would need 2 surgeries. In the first surgery, Dr. Leonard removed the old knee implant entirely and placed a special temporary implant, which was essentially a straight rod down her leg. The special temporary implant was treated with medicine to help fight the infection and would remain in place for 3 months. During that time Kathie couldn’t physically bend her leg, so she was in a wheelchair with a leg brace and had help from a home health nurse several times a week.
For Kathie’s second surgery, Dr. Leonard removed the rod and placed a new knee implant. Kathie worked hard on all the rehabilitation exercises. Kathie is feeling great and is once again back to work and all the other activities she enjoys. “Dr. Leonard always took the time to answer all my questions. He is so thorough and meticulous. I always felt so comfortable and reassured. I trust him implicitly and would highly recommend him to anyone.”
