Jeannie

Helping care for her two young granddaughters is something that has always given Jeannie Baderscher immense joy. “After my husband died a few years ago,” she says, “it was especially important to me to be able to spend time with them.” However, when Jeannie started experiencing pain in her knees, it kept her from spending quality time with her little loves. She turned to Huntington Hospital for help.

Jeannie, who grew up in Pasadena, was a nurse for 45 years before retiring. She worked at several hospitals throughout her career, including Huntington. After all those years, there was no other hospital Jeannie trusted more than ours, so she made an appointment with Todd Dietrick, MD, medical director of our joint replacement program, who also practices with Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics at Huntington, formerly Congress Orthopaedic Associates Inc.  “I knew Dr. Dietrick has a stellar reputation in joint replacement and reconstructive arthritis surgery,” says Jeannie. “I just have so much confidence in him and the entire Huntington orthopedic surgery team.”

Dr. Dietrick recommended that Jeannie undergo knee replacement surgery. As Jeannie’s left knee was worse off, he decided to operate on that one first and give her time to recover before treating her other knee. A year later, in early 2024, Dr. Dietrick performed the procedure to replace Jeannie’s right knee. This time, he recommended that the surgery be performed robotically using the ROSA Knee System. This advanced new technology assists surgeons in performing knee replacement surgery that is more precise and less invasive than the traditional method of manual total knee arthroplasty — helping lead to faster healing times for patients.

Jeannie was one of the first patients to undergo knee replacement surgery at Huntington Hospital using the ROSA robotic system. “I was up and about in a week and only really needed to use a walker intermittently for two to three weeks,” says Jeannie.

Jeannie notes that Dr. Dietrick took great care and explained the ROSA system in detail to her before the procedure. She also felt that it helped immensely that we offered a virtual class specifically for joint replacement surgery patients. Facilitated by Janet Mayeda, orthopedic joint coordinator, the class ensures patients know what to expect before, during and after their procedure. “Janet was so thorough in her explanations that I didn’t need to ask any questions,” says Jeannie. “She was very knowledgeable!”

Today, Jeannie is healed, pain-free and back to spending time doing the things that make her happy. She can even get on her knees to bathe and care for her beloved dog, a little Beagle named Sophie. Most importantly, she is once again able to take care of her now eight- and four-year-old granddaughters. “They are the shining light in my life,” she says.

Jeannie feels a strong admiration for Huntington Hospital and the team that cared for her. “I’m so grateful to them for helping me get back to doing what is most important to me. My quality of life is so much better than it was before I had knee surgery, and there really isn’t anything I can’t do now. I would never choose a hospital other than Huntington!”

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