Kay's Story
Kay French walked into a boardroom and jaws dropped...
At a luncheon later in the day, fellow guests watched in amazement as she navigated a crowded banquet room to find her table. In fact, everywhere Ms. French went, she raised eyebrows. And questions. How was it possible that she was getting around without a wheelchair, walker or even a cane so soon after hip replacement surgery?
"The one thing everybody wanted to know," says Ms. French, "was who did it." She was more than happy to tell friends about Patrick Kirk, M.D., The Christ Hospital Physicians -- Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine. "He is fantastic," says a grateful Ms. French.
The positive experience for Ms. French, an active volunteer and philanthropist, extended beyond the care her surgeon provided. She says she is grateful, too, for "the wonderful room and caring staff" during her stay. "There was nothing negative about it at all. The whole thing was so well done," she says of her patient experience.
Although her rapid recovery stunned friends, Ms. French had a hint that post-surgery might go well. Four years earlier, her sister Nancy Brown had both hips replaced by Dr. Kirk. "Three months later, my sister was on a Mediterranean cruise and walking cobblestone streets in Greece," says Ms. French. Still, she admits she could not have predicted that she would be walking without a cane three days after surgery. "I was rejected for rehab," she jokes. "I bought a pretty polka-dotted cane that I didn't even get to use."
After a summer that included walking the beach in Fort Meyers, Florida, her surgery is fading from memory. "Nobody can tell that I've even had anything replaced," she says, "except when I'm going through airport security and setting off every alarm."
Ms. French describes herself as "out and about all the time." Her resume attests to that. It is filled with civic and philanthropic interests, including service on the boards of directors of YMCA Metropolitan, Deaconess Foundation and Hospital and Central Clinic. Ms. French has been honored by the Visiting Nurse Association and she supports organizations throughout the city, including the Alzheimer's Association of Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Legal Aid Society, and others. That's a wide circle that has followed her amazing progress. "People who see me see the results of Dr. Kirk's work," she says. "When you see someone come back as I have, it's unheard of. It's like a miracle."
Ms. French continues to share her story and praise for The Christ Hospital's clinical team with others in the community, and is grateful for the exceptional care she received that has done wonders for her health and quality of life.
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