About the Patients

The documentary follows four patients before, during and after their knee or hip replacement surgery. Here are the patients featured in the documentary, which was filmed in 2003 and 2004.

Linda Brown
Age: 62 years old
Lives: Kalamazoo, Mich.
Personals: Married and an active mother of three grown children
Type of Surgery: Total hip replacement
Her Story: After three years of worsening hip pain, Linda's leisure time activities - including tennis, long bike trips and walks on the Lake Michigan beach - were all but forgotten. With her new hip, she has returned to doing the things she loves to do with her family, who no longer are worried about her condition.

Sophia Gershfeld
Age: 61 years old
Lives: New York City
Personals: A parking and traffic engineer who works for the New York City Department of Transportation
Type of Surgery: Total hip replacement
Her Story: An immigrant from the Ukraine, Sophia has a demanding job that requires her to walk miles each day - measuring for parking meter plans for the New York City street grid. She loves her job, but severe hip pain and the demands of the position prevented her from working. During her hip replacement surgery and rehabilitation, her 18-year-old grandson, Lenny, came to New York to help out. She is now back on the job - and pain-free.

Eugene Zongrone
Age: 59 years old
Lives: New York City
Personals: An executive at Amalgamated Bank dealing with regulatory issues
Type of Surgery: Total hip replacement
His Story: Eugene's job entails many long hours walking the bank floor. After several years of ribbing from his co-workers about his pronounced limp, he finally decided to do something about it. His disability was making his commute via public transportation from the suburbs extremely difficult. After the replacement of his hip, he has returned to work and to the amazement of those in the office, he is without a limp. He is resuming his favorite hobby-golf.

Mae Katen
Age: 81 years old
Lives: San Diego
Personals: Married
Type of Surgery: Knee replacement surgery (both knees)
Her Story: Mae and her husband, Art, a retired colonel in the Marine Corps., are lifelong, avid sailors who own a 45-foot boat. They are members of the San Diego Coast Guard Auxiliary. Their boating days came to an end five years ago when Mae developed severe arthritis in both knees. Now, after her bi-lateral knee replacements, Mae and Art are back on the water doing what they love - conducting search and rescue exercises for the Coast Guard.