Francisco Goldman

In mid-June, I flew up to HSS from Mexico City to meet with Dr. Parks and his team - Grant, Stephanie, and Andrea (who are ALL wonderful). I told them I had a small window in which I could get my surgery - the month of July, when my kids would be out of school - and a friend had offered us their place in Brooklyn for a month. Dr. Parks and Grant looked at my x-ray, told me I'd won bad knee of the week, and promptly scheduled me for surgery on July 10th. I couldn't believe it! Dr. Parks, a man who just glows with confidence, competence, good humor, and kindness, impressed me. My primary care doctor had put him at the top of the list of surgeons he recommended, and I am so grateful for that. My God, what an impressive place HSS is! Everything goes so smoothly, efficiently, and yet everyone I encountered - nurses, receptionists, all the other specialists - was friendly, kind, and so good at their jobs. Within hours of my surgery, I was up and walking around with a walker. I was provided with excellent physical therapy at home by Sasha at VNS, and within 10 days, at SPEAR. By day 5 I discarded the walker, soon after the second week I no longer used a cane. I had very manageable pain even at the start, which I attributed to what must have been a perfect surgery by Dr. Parks and his team. By week three we were having a new knee party in the park with friends and champagne. I flew home to Mexico on August 2, continuing therapy here. Today is August 9th. I ride the stationary bike and walk pretty much as far as I want, though I haven't pushed it beyond an hour yet. Yesterday, I started climbing stairs normally. I am SO grateful to HSS, Dr. Parks, Grant, and the nice and always responsive Stephanie and Andrea.