Dan Tolva

What's a Joint Like This Doing in a Nice Girl Like You? Dan Tolva

An army is growing in our midst, hundreds of thousands of people who have had total joint-replacement surgery. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, in a Nov. 24, 2017, web post, wrote: "Americans are swapping out joints at a record pace. More than a million people a year are getting a total joint replacement - most typically an artificial hip or knee. "With an aging but still active population, the number of joint replacement surgeries is expected to grow dramatically, to some 4 million, in less than 20 years. More than half will be younger than 65." "What's a Joint Like This Doing in a Nice Girl Like You?" started out as a scrapbook detailing the experiences of Colleen Violet Tolva during and after her total knee-replacement surgery. As the scrapbook grew, Colleen and her husband, Dan, realized that her experiences could serve as inspiration and encouragement for others contemplating the surgery and those recovering from its affects. The Tolvas discovered that this daunting, even intimidating, process can be eased mightily through family, friends, and faith, as well as the support provided by dozens of caring, empathetic health-care professionals. Here's hoping that others can benefit from the lessons the Tolvas learned.