“This painting represents people I have met in orthopaedic waiting rooms. All of the canes, walkers, crutches, and braces are things that I have used myself. I think of the independence these ladies have today – a century ago, they would have been confined and dependent on others. Even though these ladies are all much older than I am, I see myself in them.”
Dr. Olabisi Claudius-Cole is one of only 200 doctors in the entire country of Sierra Leone. When arthritis pain prevented her from tending to her patients, the American orthopaedic community stepped in to help. Through donated surgeries and free hip and knee implants, Dr. Claudius-Cole is now back on her feet. And Sierra Leone once again has one of its most precious national treasures - an outcome that has a lot of people feeling better.
People connect through each other’s stories. Many times, other people’s stories of challenges and triumphs strengthen us, and help us to tackle our own challenges.
Disease and injury often represent the biggest challenges of our lives. In this section of Save Your Knees, we share with you the stories of orthopaedic patients, and in the case of eMotion Pictures, we share the art that has emerged from patients’ experiences.