Not every hospital has the same quality care as Lakeview

Raymond Woody knows the power of a good recommendation

For 20 years, Raymond served our country in the air force. When off duty, he cruised the streets on his motorcycle. The active lifestyle took a toll on his knees, and though he knew he needed total knee replacement surgery, he kept dragging his feet.

“Over the years, my knees had deteriorated. I should’ve taken care of them 10 years ago, but I didn’t want to stop everything for surgery because I thought recovery would be long and painful,” Raymond said. “Then I talked with two people who told me about their knee replacement experiences with Dr. Joshua Hickman at Lakeview Hospital, and that convinced me to go ahead.”

One of Raymond’s neighbors who recommended the surgery served as a world-class high jumping athlete during college. She told Raymond about her quick recovery and the ability to return to physical activities she had long avoided. Since Raymond found himself doing less outside due to knee pain, this report sealed the deal.

“I had thought recovery would take at least a year, but I could be back to doing normal activities — like riding my bikes — in just a couple of months,” Raymond said. “My friends also told me Lakeview was a great place to have the surgery, but when I got there, I was amazed at the quality of care.”

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Taking forward steps to a better quality of life, thanks to total knee replacements 

Raymond had both total knee replacement surgeries done at Lakeview, just two months apart. Then, a month after Raymond’s last surgery, his wife Diane had her knee replaced by Dr. Hickman at Lakeview as well.

“The people of Lakeview were friendly, professional, organized and efficient. You could tell every person who interacted with you was glad they were there. I was so impressed!” Raymond said. “Through all of this, I’ve learned that not every hospital has the same quality of care.”

His wife, Diane, agreed.

“In all three instances, the people at Lakeview went above and beyond to show that they genuinely cared about us. We had experienced better than at any other hospital we’ve been to,” Diane said. “I’ll gladly drive a good distance to get care like that. It’s absolutely worth it.”

For every surgery, Raymond and Diane returned home within 12 hours of their procedures. Their recovery initially included between 4 and 6 weeks of physical therapy, and now they continue strengthening exercises within their home gym.

Nowadays, Raymond is the one offering hospital recommendations

“Put the pain behind you and get those knees taken care of — but be sure to do it at Lakeview,” Raymond said. “I can’t stress enough how wonderful the people were at Lakeview.”