Patient Profile: Sheila Hershey

Sheila Hershey is living the active retirement life she always dreamed. A retired software engineering manager from Lockheed Martin, Sheila always had a taste for adventure and a zest for life. Some might say Sheila is a pretty “hip” lady. And by that, we mean Sheila’s hip has taken her to some pretty amazing places. She is an avid world traveler. Nothing, it seemed, could slow Sheila down. That was, until 2014, when she experienced discomfort on the golf course.  

She had difficulty finishing her game, and the pain only escalated when Sheila traveled to Barcelona with her husband. By the time they got home, she found herself unable to even move about the kitchen. Sheila had never experienced mobility issues before, and didn’t know how to respond. But when the pain caused her to cancel attending a family wedding, she knew it was time to reach out for medical treatment. 

Sheila chose TOC because she enjoyed the convenience of local care, and her husband was an established patient as well. He had been seeing Dr. Seymour for a while, so she scheduled an appointment with his trusted physician, not realizing that the problem was actually with her hip. Dr. Seymour quickly diagnosed her problem and referred her to TOC physician Dr. Howard Miller, who specializes in hips.   

Sheila underwent a hip replacement in 2015, and since that time, she has spent the last three years making the most of her newly restored mobility. Her new hip has taken her to more amazing places.  “I have climbed to the top of cathedrals in London and Cologne, hiked with huskies above the Arctic Circle, landed on Cape Horn via Zodiac, and hiked the glaciers in Chile,” Sheila explained. But she wasn’t finished. “I’ve fished for Piranha and held a sloth in the Peruvian Amazon, explored the ruins at Machu Picchu and seen the giant tortoises in the Galapagos Islands.”

She was even playing golf again, just 5 weeks after her surgery! In fact, so many of her friends have been inspired by the active life Sheila leads, that they have sought their own consultations with TOC. 

She is living the life she always wanted to lead, and pain isn’t holding her back anymore. Her hip replacement was like a passport for more adventure, and we are so happy for her. We can’t wait to hear about your newest adventures. Bon voyage!

(This article was originally published in TOC’s Fall 2018 Newsletter.)

TOC Hip replacement patient Sheila Hershey on the golf course

“Thank you, Dr. Miller, for getting me back on the road again. Your skills and care have given me my active life back. You have truly made a difference in my life.” 

-Sheila Hershey 

 

“One of the most satisfying aspects of my practice is seeing patients return to their normal lifestyles and to be able to “fix” their problems. Sheila was committed to her recovery and she has done so well.” 

-Dr.  Howard G. Miller 
General Orthopaedics 
Sub-specialty Joint Replacement