Susan Besse

It's no exaggeration to say that without the five joint replacement surgeries I had at HSS, I would not be alive today, much less healthy, happy, and enjoying most of the things I love to do: cross-country ski, riding my bicycle, hike, garden, kayak/canoe, sail, travel, and more. This is thanks to Dr. Della Valle who performed bilateral revision hip replacement surgery in 2012 after the metal-on-metal hips I was given elsewhere started to poison my body with cobalt and chromium. Then, in September 2020, he replaced my very bowed left knee, from which I healed fast enough to participate in the Newport Yacht Club's winter "frostbiting" (sailboat) racing series starting January 1, 2021. I am also hugely indebted to Dr. Frank Cordasco who replaced my right shoulder in 2011 and my left shoulder in 2016, eliminating pain and restoring a normal range of motion. My physical therapist tells me that she has never seen such a successful outcome from shoulder replacement surgery.