West African Doctor Visits Warsaw, IN, to Thank DePuy and Surgeon for Her New Hips and Knees

New Joints Enable Her To Return To Health Clinic To Provide Critical Medical Care

Warsaw, IN A doctor from West Africa, Dr. Olabisi Claudius-Cole, share with DePuy Orthopaedics’ employees how hip and knee replacement surgeries allow her to return to her war-torn country to keep her health clinic alive.

Cole, 49, runs a 21-bed clinic in the African country of Sierra Leone along with her 82-year-old father. The primitive set-up may not look like much, but for many people, this clinic is their only hope for basic medical care. Dr. Cole does everything from C-sections to AIDS counseling to fixing bullet wounds -- in some cases free-of-charge.

But in 2006, Dr. Cole’s ability to help the sick was in jeopardy. Her arthritis-ravaged knees were giving out, preventing her from seeing patients. Her sister, who lives in Evanston, Illinois, convinced Dr. Cole to come to Chicago to seek treatment. With little funds and no insurance, they had no idea how they would pay for knee replacements. Then they found Dr. Wayne Goldstein and Rush North Shore Medical Center.

Dr. Goldstein immediately knew, between him and his colleagues, they would be able to get her back on her feet and back to saving lives. Rush North Shore picked up most of the hospital costs associated with the surgery, and Dr. Cole contributed what she could. Upon hearing this patient’s inspiring story, DePuy offered to provide Dr. Cole’s two Sigma™ Rotating Platform Knees at no cost.

In 2007, Dr. Cole found herself in a similar situation, except in this case, it was her hips that were slowing her down from treating patients. She reached out to Dr. Goldstein, Rush North Shore Medical Center and DePuy again. Once again, all parties agreed to donate care to this one-of-a-kind patient. In July, Dr. Cole underwent the first of her two hip replacement surgeries with the Pinnacle™ Acetabular Cup System with Ultamet™ XL Metal-on-Metal Bearings. She will undergo her second hip replacement surgery in August.

“I came to the U.S. with nothing and expected nothing. I leave now with new knees, new hips, new friends and new inspiration to help people who are less fortunate. I plan to pass this blessing that Dr. Goldstein and his team gave me on to others,” said Dr. Cole.

“I think it is I and everyone else who has been involved in Dr. Cole’s amazing journey that has been blessed. Through this one extraordinary individual, we had the opportunity to help the world. I can think of no greater gift and no greater reminder of what medicine is really about,” said Dr. Goldstein..

As with any medical treatment, individual results may vary. Only an orthopaedic surgeon can determine whether an orthopaedic implant is an appropriate course of treatment. There are potential risks, and recovery takes time. The performance of the new joint depends on weight, activity level, age and other factors.