Like a toddler, an American lady has now been able to walk again after undergoing knee replacement surgery at a Shenzhen hospital.
Corinne Reynolds, founder of a special education institution called “Promised Land” in Shenzhen, has been living and working in China for decades.
Reynolds adopted her first autistic child in 1998, which marked the beginning of her inextricable bond with the education of special children in China. In 2011, she used all her savings to open “Promised Land,” providing education, rehabilitation and care for children with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and other disabilities.
From two or three children at the beginning to over 40 now, Reynolds has already become a close friend of these children, and the children affectionately call her “Mama.”
However, her health began to worsen due to years of hard work. Over 10 years ago, Reynolds began experiencing pain in both knee joints, which gradually worsened over time. Eventually, her legs developed an O-shaped curvature, severely impeding her ability to walk without unbearable pain.
At the Shenzhen University General Hospital, Reynolds was diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis, a condition where the cartilage in the knee joint is almost completely gone. The most effective and commonly used treatment for osteoarthritis is knee replacement surgery.
Despite the surgical procedure’s complexity, it was carried out successfully. Reynolds, like a child learning to walk, took her “baby steps,” gradually progressing from the first to the 100th and eventually reaching 5,000 steps.
According to Shang Jian, director of the hospital’s joint trauma department, the national policy on centralized procurement of artificial joints has greatly reduced the economic burden on patients since April 2022.
The price of artificial joints used by Reynolds in her surgery has decreased from over 30,000 yuan (US$4,209) before the centralized procurement to about 6,000 yuan, a drop of about 80%.
Shortly after discharge, Reynolds sent a WeChat message to the doctor, saying: “Thank you. I walked 4,167 steps today. I haven’t walked that much in years. Now I can stand up from the bed without using a handrail.”