"Always had positive experiences"

My story is an ongoing and evolving one, following an ankle injury many years ago motor bike riding. This story is about my last year of treatment and care.

I have worn a moon boot/ankle brace thing for many years, I even travelled the world with it. It was the only way I could receive relief, surgery was recommended but for many reasons I didn’t have it. It was starting to get me down with my arthritis and things.

I was referred by my usual podiatrist to Tep (podiatrist) at the hospital as Tep was known for being a talented with determination and innovation. Tep couldn’t believe the state of my ankle and took casts of my feet and called me a few weeks later and had made an insert for each of my feet to put in special shoes that he had. He wanted me to see if I could walk without the moon boot, he made an amazing device and it took about 10 or 12 iterations of it, lots of tries that he made out of the lab in the hospital. I’ve seen a lot of podiatrists in my time but his attention to detail and focus on solving my problem, his kindness and his ability to technically make the device was outstanding.

They took a long time for me to get used to wearing them, I broke them and my foot was still hurting. Late last year, I called and went to see him, he had another look at my foot, made more fine tuning and adjustments and gave me another pair of shoes, refitted the inserts. I still can’t walk without a stick and can’t walk great, but I can walk without a moon boot and it’s improved my quality of life from his commitment – he went over and above what I expected.

As a general comment as a conclusion of my remarks, I have often been to Albany Health Campus and have never had anything but positive experiences there. I have been going to the new hospital ever since it was built. I go to the cancer oncology ward to have regular infusion for rheumatoid arthritis (don’t have cancer) – they are angels from oncology. I sit there and see what goes on, and I have never had a bad experience. I think we are lucky to have it.