Frank and his granddaughter, Emersyn, playing with blocks on the floor.

Craig resident regains mobility after a total knee replacement with Dr. Jay Thompson and returns to active time with his family.

The moment that mattered most to Frank Childs came six weeks after his knee replacement, when his 2-year-old granddaughter Emersyn ran toward him and threw her arms around his neck. For the first time in years, “Papa” could get down on the floor to play with her.

“That hug… it was everything,” Frank said. “And it was because of this hospital that it happened.”

Before moving to Craig two years ago from Grand Junction, Frank, a 70-year-old Air Force veteran and former C-130 crew chief, lived with knee pain for decades. For 45 years, he used the VA system, where he felt like he was only getting temporary fixes.

“They kept throwing Band-Aids at it,” he said. “I never realized how much pain I was actually in.”

His turning point came in July after scheduling an x-ray at Memorial Regional Health. When Dr. Jay Thompson, Orthopedic Surgeon and part of the Steamboat Orthopaedic & Spine Institute, watched him walk into the room, he immediately noticed something was wrong. Moments later, he heard a pop in Frank’s knee during the exam. Within a month, Frank had a total right knee replacement at MRH.

“THIS hospital is where I got it done,” Frank said. “I’ve never been cared for like that… and it was genuine care.”

Frank was especially grateful for how clearly Dr. Thompson explained everything, “in layman’s terms,” as he put it. Dr. Thompson walked him through exactly what was happening inside the joint, why surgery shouldn’t wait, and how the custom plates for his knee would be prepared ahead of time. His thoroughness and quick action gave Frank immediate confidence.

“I approach every patient with a fresh set of eyes and enjoy working with them on their personalized goals,” said Dr. Thompson when he joined the MRH team. “Many patients want to be able to return to activities they enjoy or that they need to accomplish in order to work and take
care of themselves and their families. I find it gratifying to help them reach their goals.”

And Frank’s biggest goal was no secret. “They knew my goal was to be back on the floor with my 2-year-old granddaughter,” he said.

From Dr. Thompson and the OR team to the night nurses, physical therapists, cafeteria staff, and hospital administrators, Frank felt surrounded by people who truly saw him. “The care I was given here… you thought I was a baby,” he joked. But the sentiment was real. “I can’t say it was
one person, everybody was involved. My care was extraordinary.”

One moment with the MRI tech stayed with him. “You see me,” Frank told her. She replied, with tears in her eyes, “That’s what we strive for.” For Frank, a veteran who knows what it feels like to be overlooked, that meant everything. “When a veteran goes to the hospital and they are seen, that makes all the difference in the world.”

One thing Frank says truly sets MRH apart is their precision. It reminded him of something from his Air Force days. “In bootcamp they taught us to fold a towel in a six-inch square,” he said. That exact kind of detail is what the MRH staff portrayed. From how carefully the team prepared him for surgery to the way every department communicated about his goals, it all made him feel confident and cared for.

Now, Frank can walk stairs starting with his stronger right knee. His hip no longer hurts. And in March, he’ll return to MRH for his left knee replacement—a decision he didn’t have to think twice about. “I’m completely satisfied—tickled pink,” he said.

With both knees replaced, Frank is already planning his future: bike riding this summer, fishing again, and simply enjoying a better quality of life with his grandchildren.

And he’s grateful to call Craig home. “I love the small town,” he said. “When you wave at people, they wave back. We couldn’t have picked a better place.”