“Dr. Wong is so easy to talk to, just like a longtime friend or a neighbor you have lived next to for 30 years.”

Many people research their orthopedic specialist when needing treatment. But when Carl Depew landed in the hospital for a dislocated hip, he did not have the luxury of choosing his surgeon due to the emergency. Little did he know that he was about to find a new friend, Dr. Wendy Wong.

Almost 25 years ago, Carl had both of his hips replaced and then just about forgot he had two artificial hips.

But in 2013, Carl fell and dislocated his right hip while painting the bathroom walls. “There was no pain but my leg was wobbling like an elephant trunk, and I had to go to the hospital to have it put back into place,” says Carl. Other than the inconvenience, this dislocated hip was almost a non-event.

This year Carl had another fall in the bathroom and dislocated his left hip. But this time it was quite different.

“When I fell, it was like a ton of bricks hitting the floor, and a pain went through my body like I had never felt before,” says Carl of his second dislocated hip. “I could barely tolerate the pain in order to reach for the phone to call 911.”

Lucky draw after second dislocated hip

But he did, and the ambulance took him to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, where he waited a short while to see which doctor would treat him. Dr. Wong came in and introduced herself to Carl.

“It was so nice talking to her about my artificial hips and the fall. I almost forgot about how much it had hurt before they gave me something for the pain,” Carl says. “I felt a sense of confidence and I knew I was in good hands.”

After an evaluation, Carl was wheeled into an operating room where he talked with Dr. Wong again. He went under anesthesia and Dr. Wong performed a closed reduction to put the artificial hip back into place without the need for additional surgeries.

“The next thing I knew I was in a room feeling fit as a fiddle with my injury repaired,” says Carl.

Dr. Wong came to check on Carl, confirmed he was doing okay, and started the process to get him back home.

A doctor one step above the rest

After Carl was released from the hospital, Dr. Wong called to check up on him on a few occasions to make sure that everything was going well. Carl only used a walker for one night and was back on his feet and able to cook and enjoy his everyday activities.

“Dr. Wong is so easy to talk to, just like a longtime friend or a neighbor you have lived next to for 30 years,” says Carl.

Because of the emergency, Carl may not have had his choice of doctors upon arrival at the hospital, but he says he is grateful to have met and gotten to know Dr. Wong.