Rheumatoid arthritis has limited many of Arlene Absatz’s activities. However, with the encouragement and motivation she received from her son, Dr. Mic... [continued]
The son of an artist and an engineer, Dr. Michael Absatz has been practicing orthopaedics for over 20 years. Originally a specialist in hip and knee r... [continued]
Dr. Frederick Azar has been an orthopaedic surgeon for the past 14 years and currently practices at the Campbell Clinic in Memphis. While in medical s... [continued]
Helen Bar-Lev is an accomplished artist, teacher, and poet who has been living and teaching in Jerusalem for the past 30 years. She has had her artwor... [continued]
Cancer led Colleen McLaughlin Barlow to a dissecting room. “There I saw the component parts of us: you, me, humanity.” Moved by the beauty of these st... [continued]
As a fine arts graduate from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Judith Lynn Batten has learned to use her degenerative disc condition as inspiration... [continued]
An academic orthopaedic cancer surgeon for over 14 years, Dr. Joseph Benevenia has been an artist for most of his adult life. Technical process satisf... [continued]
Rayleigh Bennett was diagnosed with VACTERL syndrome at birth (including fused ribs and vertebrae and a missing thumb and forefinger), but the conditi... [continued]
Dr. Lee Berger has been an orthopaedic surgeon for 24 years, and an artist even longer. He became an orthopaedic surgeon because it was the most fasci... [continued]
A recent University of Texas graduate, 20-year-old Desmond Blair was born with a bilateral absence of hands. Nevertheless, Blair has devoted his artis... [continued]
During the fall of 1985, Bill Boettcher suffered a central cord injury due to a bicycle accident. He says it almost literally acted as the proverbial ... [continued]
Robert Booth is a distinguished teaching professor in the sculpture curriculum at the State University of New York in Fredonia. He has presented his w... [continued]
With both a BA and an MA in history, R. Jane Bouchard always felt that art was of the utmost importance to the understanding of mankind. After an unsu... [continued]
Congenital hip dysplasia has played an enormous role in Shannon Bourne’s identity and purpose for making art. After graduation from college, and at th... [continued]
An orthopaedic surgeon with expertise in sports medicine and trauma, Dr. David Bovill has been practicing medicine for the past 18 years. “Orthopaedic... [continued]
An active sports enthusiast, 12-year-old John Bovill broke his wrist playing soccer. While in a cast and beginning his healing process, Bovill turned ... [continued]
An orthopaedic surgeon for the past 28 years, Dr. Gary Brazina believes that the physician-patient partnership is especially important in orthopaedics... [continued]
Vietnamese-born physician and artist, Tuy Nga Brignol now resides in France where she works for the French Muscular Dystrophy Association. Brignol was... [continued]
After 13 years of living in constant pain, Timi Bronson is now living her life again 97% pain free and able to enjoy activities once given up because ... [continued]
Benjamin Brown, now an undergraduate student at the University of Southern California majoring in broadcast journalism with a minor in fine arts, has ... [continued]
Bill Bruckner has been a painter most of his life. His work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the United States. Having short arms, Bruckner ... [continued]
An accomplished artist for over 30 years, Janet Burgess only recently began looking at her physical body as source material for her artwork. Childhood... [continued]
Gregory Burns contracted polio at an early age and underwent four operations on his legs before the age of 13. “Polio shaped my life in countless ways... [continued]
In 2001, Angelica Busque began to have health problems that would cause her life to slow down tremendously. By age 23, she had been hospitalized six t... [continued]
“My hip pain was affecting all aspects of my life, particularly my ability to stand and paint for any length of time,” says Patricia Cairns. “Before h... [continued]
Dr. S. Terrance “Terry” Canale has been an orthopaedic surgeon for over 30 years and is currently professor and chairman of the University of Tennesse... [continued]
1986 marks Mitchell Canoff’s first year as a professional photographer. After a near-fatal motorcycle accident in 1999 which resulted in a herniated d... [continued]
A self-taught artist, Greg Carden has suffered through a series of medical conditions over the course of his life. His treatments have included biopsi... [continued]
Having undergone several surgeries to help correct congenital scoliosis, 14-year-old Courtney Cashell focuses on her inner strength and remains optimi... [continued]
Rosalie Cassell is a painter and community college art instructor. In 2003 she underwent knee replacement surgery which later required a “forced manip... [continued]
A greatly respected artist, teacher, lecturer, and environmental activist, Elaine Cimino has undergone eight major surgeries on her right knee in the ... [continued]
An active creature of the outdoors and an adventure-driven traveler, Viktoria Ciostek was quite apprehensive about the idea of reconstructive surgery ... [continued]
Mariana Clarke was diagnosed with scoliosis at birth and has had several surgeries. She has been a patient at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Childre... [continued]
Simone Clemhout was born in Belgium. At the age of 4, she lost her right leg, below the knee, in a railway accident. She has had an artificial limb fo... [continued]
At the age of 13, Celeste Collier underwent a spinal fusion procedure that transformed her life. Liberated from the confinement of her back brace, she... [continued]
Thomas Conner is a 4-year-old patient at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children and was born with radial aplasia to the right arm and the absence o... [continued]
A climbing accident fractured three vertebrae in Christopher Conrad’s back. Forced to recuperate in a hard “shell” brace for four months, Conrad had t... [continued]
A professor of art at California College of Arts, Lia Cook underwent arthroscopic surgery, a minimally invasive surgical procedure that allows an orth... [continued]
Since she began suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis in both hands, Rose Cosme has found a new physical connection with her work. As a ... [continued]
An internationally renowned artist, Rosemary Feit Covey’s body of professional work is in the collections of major museums worldwide. Although many of... [continued]
Katherine Crenshaw is a sound design major at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her father is an accomplished orthopaedic surgeon, as was her gr... [continued]
An orthopaedic surgeon and academic, Dr. Robert D’Ambrosia served as professor and chairman of orthopaedic surgery at Louisiana State University for 2... [continued]
After a career in interior design, Linelle Dickinson enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to study fine art; she embraced an ancient... [continued]
Angela Ditolla is a 13-year-old who received treatment for severe spinal deformity at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Her artwork is really... [continued]
Mikala Drake is a 4-year-old arthrogryposis patient at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Houston. She enjoys playing house, meeting new friends, and ... [continued]
After breaking the ulna and radius of her right arm, Sandra Dunn had to trust the medical profession and the natural healing processes of her body to ... [continued]
Originally from New York, Siobhan Egan now resides in Savannah, Georgia, where she is pursuing a master’s in fine arts at the Savannah College of Arts... [continued]
An American artist currently residing in Paris, Roberta Faulhaber is undergoing physiotherapy sessions for fibromyalgia and severe osteoarthritis of t... [continued]
A world-famous contemporary artist known for his 3-D creations designed for the Super Bowl, the Grammy Awards, National Football League games and coun... [continued]
Deborah Fell is a studio artist committed to the art quilt medium. Fell has suffered from joint pain for several years and has undergone numerous surg... [continued]
Laura Ferguson is a New York artist with scoliosis. In 1961, she underwent spinal fusion surgery and has since explored various exercise techniques an... [continued]
Dr. Howard Finkel has practiced general orthopaedics for the past 32 years with a special focus on joint reconstruction and spine surgery. He has alwa... [continued]
An orthopaedic surgeon and spine specialist, Dr. John Finkenberg has been in private practice for the past 15 years in San Diego, California. “There a... [continued]
Rose-Lynn Fisher is an internationally renowned photographer and mixed-media artist who underwent bilateral surface replacement of the hips and later,... [continued]
A Cambridge Medical School graduate, scholar, and distinguished orthopaedic hand surgeon, Dr. Adrian E. Flatt has served as a hand surgery consultant ... [continued]
Dr. C. Timothy Floyd has been an orthopaedic surgeon since 1989 and focuses exclusively on the spine. “Over time, I have come to realize my most impor... [continued]
Dr. John Fortune is assistant chief of orthopaedic surgery at Kaiser Permanente’s Santa Teresa Medical Center, San Jose, California, and an orthopaedi... [continued]
At the age of 15, Susan Etcoff Fraerman underwent the now famous Grice-Green procedure to alleviate her disabling flat feet condition. While spending ... [continued]
As a hardworking sculptor, Lou Fuchs is constantly on his feet playing with clay, making molds and casts, carving stone, or carving wood with a chains... [continued]
A registered nurse for nearly 30 years, Yvonne Galbraith suffered a whiplash accident in 1996. It was an injury that reinforced her perspective on her... [continued]
An orthopaedic surgeon from 1973 to 1991, Dr. Henry Gamble had to discontinue his medical practice due to loss of eyesight caused by glaucoma. He was ... [continued]
Anita Garza is an artist, writer, and director of community programs at Columbia College, Chicago, Center for Book and Paper Arts. Garza has lived wit... [continued]
After Maria Lomas Garza underwent her second successful total knee replacement, she returned to her love of art as a way of relaxing. A successful pro... [continued]
Dr. Leonard Gerstein is an orthopaedic surgeon and wood sculptor who has spent most of his adult life maintaining a healthy balance of artistic and me... [continued]
Dr. Thomas B. Grollman has been an orthopaedic surgeon for 34 years and enjoyed his “privilege to help patients with musculoskeletal injuries and dise... [continued]
College student and aspiring artist Jessie Grskovic has undergone two surgeries to counter the effects of her congenital scoliosis. Sculpting and crea... [continued]
Edward Hanley, Jr., MD, is an orthopaedic spine specialist and chair of the department of orthopaedic surgery at Carolinas Medical Center. In the cour... [continued]
A recent college graduate with a major in fine art, Andrea Hart’s personal experience with scoliosis has had a profound effect on her life, shaping he... [continued]
An orthopaedic surgeon and shoulder specialist in Northern California for the past five years, Dr. Yassamin Hazrati finds orthopaedic surgery gratifyi... [continued]
An orthopaedic surgeon at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, Dr. Tony Herring is also an orthopaedic patient. “After a skiing accide... [continued]
In March 2006, Xuan My Ho was diagnosed with hammer toe of the fourth and fifth toes on both feet. The mobility challenges she found while recovering ... [continued]
Having been diagnosed with osteoporosis in 2003, Anita Horton faced the prospect of a very different lifestyle ahead. Her newfound feelings of fragili... [continued]
After spending six months in a cast for her severely broken leg, 15-year-old Kathleen Houston-Stokes became determined to work in the health care fiel... [continued]
Suffering from a right congenital hip dysplasia further complicated by mixed connective tissue disease, Kendall Hurley was fortunate enough to undergo... [continued]
Dr. Matthew L. Jiménez is an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in orthopaedic fracture care and joint reconstruction. He began painting and drawing aft... [continued]
After a long and distinguished career as an orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Ramon Jiménez now uses his considerable experience and knowledge as a consultant ... [continued]
Award-winning painter Ricardo M. Jiménez was a former art teacher who worked with at-risk children. In 1988, he sustained a lower back injury while br... [continued]
After being diagnosed with chondrosarcoma in 2000 (a malignant cartilage tumor affecting her right tibia), Renate Jones began her first art class at t... [continued]
As a surgical resident at the University of Tennessee, Campbell Clinic of Orthopaedic Surgery, Dr. Andrew Kaplan was taken by the polarization of the ... [continued]
Lena Kazer is a 16-year-old high school junior who underwent a limb-lengthening procedure in 2003 to correct a congenital short left femur condition. ... [continued]
Shafiullah “Shafi” Khan is a 14-year-old Afghani patient who has severe juvenile idiopathic arthritis. He is unable to walk or stand since his legs ar... [continued]
With his father a carpenter and his mother a nurse, Dr. Robert Klapper feels it was inevitable that he would become an orthopaedic surgeon. “I’ve alwa... [continued]
An orthopaedic surgeon for over 30 years, Dr. Peter Langan began sketching while cruising the Mediterranean during his service in the U.S. Navy. His s... [continued]
At age 12, Catherine Larson underwent surgery for idiopathic scoliosis to correct a 102-degree curvature of the spine. She spent the next year and a h... [continued]
An orthopaedic surgeon and foot and ankle specialist in Uruguay for the past five years, Dr. Alicia LaSalle enjoys her orthopaedic work as much as her... [continued]
Renowned artist, writer, teacher, and speaker, Riva Lehrer was born with spina bifida myelomeningocele which has led to 43 surgeries and over 300 hosp... [continued]
David Leibowitz is an attorney by profession, but for many years he was a youth soccer referee. After officiating close to 300 games over the years, h... [continued]
Margaret Leininger suffered a fractured pelvis while participating in an equestrian event. During her recovery she discovered that viewing her x-rays ... [continued]
Dr. Alan Levine is a renowned orthopaedic spine specialist among other responsibilities. In his spare time, Dr. Levine also makes teddy bears for fun ... [continued]
Dr. Michael S. Lewis is an orthopaedic surgeon at the Illinois Bone and Joint Institute. He has been chief of staff at Rush North Shore Medical Center... [continued]
An orthopaedic surgeon in Clinton, Washington, for over 30 years, Dr. William “Bill” Loscher has found orthopaedic surgery extremely gratifying for ma... [continued]
Vladimir Loukin, a former Kazakhstan speed skating champion, lost his left leg in a bicycle accident in 1973 when a drunk driver hit him. Determined t... [continued]
Amanda Love is a 12-year-old who has undergone several orthopaedic operations with an inspirational amount of courage, strength, and determination. Sh... [continued]
Dr. Jay Mabrey, chief of orthopaedics at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, specializes in hips and knees. His interest in art and graphics b... [continued]
Dr. Robert MacArthur decided to pursue a career in orthopaedics after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury while playing rugby at Uni... [continued]
Octavia J. Mackey is a self-taught multimedia artist who has also taught art classes to low income, public school youths. A simple twist of a shovel d... [continued]
A local New Orleans artist and teacher, Maggie Mae suffered broken ribs, pelvis, arm and a collapsed lung during a traffic accident. After a two-month... [continued]
Fascination with movement and the human body has been an ongoing part of Alexandra Martin's life. The onset of spinal stenosis and arthritis of the ha... [continued]
The Iran-Iraq War during the 1980s was one of the subjects that Ario Mashayekhi tackled in his early art.” He immigrated to the United States from Ira... [continued]
After being bedridden for a year and a half due to a severe back injury, artist and graduate student Rebekah May underwent a spinal fusion operation w... [continued]
Babette Mayor is a graphic design professor and artist who turned to the computer years ago when her rheumatoid arthritis made it difficult for her to... [continued]
A pediatric orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. McCarthy feels that surgery is a perfect combination of all his interests. He has always enjoyed art and his proj... [continued]
A decorative and fine art painter for over 30 years, Julia McDonald creates works on canvas, paper, wood, and walls. Due to recurring chronic knee pai... [continued]
Dr. Richard McKay has practiced orthopaedics in Amarillo, Texas, for 32 years. He is the photographer of Ortho-Tex, one of 75 fiberglass replicas of ... [continued]
Suzanne Kurek Merrell suffered a rupture of two cervical discs and flattening of her spinal cord over a decade ago. This debilitating injury actually ... [continued]
Ted Meyer is an accomplished artist, designer, illustrator, and author. Born with Gaucher’s disease, he spent a great deal of his childhood in the hos... [continued]
An orthopaedic surgeon since 1973, Dr. Malcolm Meyn’s career abruptly changed direction in 1981 when he was diagnosed as having Parkinson’s disease. A... [continued]
Jay Montgomery is a full-time freelance illustrator and longtime back pain sufferer. Diagnosed with slight curvature of the spine and a short leg, Mon... [continued]
Dr. Burt Moritz IV is a fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and practicing at Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii. He has p... [continued]
Daniel Murchison is a 15-year-old sophomore from Dallas. At the age of 7, he endured a fracture in the growth plate of his elbow. At age 12, Murchison... [continued]
Twenty-two-year-old Augustus Nazzaro is an art student in New York. A childhood accident severed the big and secondary toes on one foot. This led to a... [continued]
A severely broken ankle and the resultant period of rehabilitation left Kim Newell bored and restless. A self-taught artist, Newell used her creative ... [continued]
Diagnosed with spina bifida at an early age, Edwin Njoroge received treatment at the AIC-CURE International Hospital in Kijabe, Kenya. The young Njoro... [continued]
Alaa Osman is an 8-year-old who has undergone several orthopaedic surgeries on her lower extremities. She loves to draw and her art is inspired by the... [continued]
Jill Parisi was struck by a car that crushed her legs beyond repair. This necessitated above-the-knee amputations on both legs. After rehabilitation, ... [continued]
After double hip replacement surgery, Robert Parow, a retired industrial arts/technology teacher and high school tennis coach, wanted to design a cane... [continued]
Diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 12, Liza Pflughoft recently underwent corrective surgery to reduce the curvature; two titanium bars were placed... [continued]
After years of chronic pain related to fibromyalgia and arthritis, I. Carmen Quintana has turned ever more to the virtual realm of computers in order ... [continued]
After years of continuing progression of the curvature of his spine from Scheuermann’s kyphosis, Andrew Reach required an extensive spinal fusion foll... [continued]
Helen Redman is a widely exhibited figurative artist. In 1980, she suffered a herniated disc with related sciatic pain and spasm which altered her lif... [continued]
A Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Georgia, Cheryl Reese began medical school at the Medical College of Georgia during... [continued]
As an orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Richard B. Ressman has operated on fractures, replaced arthritic knees and hips, and performed many other types of orth... [continued]
After three orthopaedic surgeries, which included a femur pin and bunion removal, Michelle Rial was pain free and able to walk. She started exploring ... [continued]
Dr. Patrick R. Robins’ mother developed polio and severe scoliosis as a young girl. She underwent the first scoliosis spinal fusion treatment in the s... [continued]
Jennifer Latham Robinson was born with bilateral proximal focal femoral deficiency that required an above-knee amputation. After being fitted with a p... [continued]
Alana Rooke was born without a functional thumb on her left hand. Diagnosed with hypoplastic radial defect, she had her first surgery at 11 months old... [continued]
Dr. Vincent Russo has been an orthopaedic surgeon practicing in Scottsdale, Arizona, for the past 25 years. “I recognized early in my life that orthop... [continued]
Michelle Sales has had neck and low back problems, including spinal stenosis and disc herniation, since childhood. In her late thirties she developed ... [continued]
Elinor Schoenfeld, PhD, is a distinguished epidemiologist on faculty at a medical school in New York. Diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (C... [continued]
As an orthopaedic foot and ankle specialist who runs a busy clinical-academic practice, Dr. Lew C. Schon thrives on finding unsolved problems that are... [continued]
Dr. Jules Shapiro practiced orthopaedic surgery for over 31 years before his retirement. His special interests in the pathophysiology of deformity of ... [continued]
At the age of 28, Larry Silverman was diagnosed with spondylolisthesis. He found that he could no longer engage in many of the physical activities he ... [continued]
Karyl Sisson is a nationally recognized artist whose work is represented in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute’s Renwick Gallery an... [continued]
“As an artist, my purpose is not only to maintain beauty, but also to add to it with personal feelings and images. I work with shapes and forms of nat... [continued]
Former primary education teacher, mother of nine, and lifelong fabric artist, Aafke Swart Steenhuis was diagnosed with a giant cell tumor in her right... [continued]
An orthopaedic surgeon living and working in Macedonia, Dr. Mitko Stojanov has combined his digital photography hobby with his devotion to medicine. T... [continued]
Mixed media artist Judi Strahota is a former university professor who injured her pelvis after falling onto concrete. She has used her physical condit... [continued]
A third-year orthopaedic surgery resident at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, Dr. Stronach has also developed a passion for welding and casting.... [continued]
A professor of clinical orthopaedic surgery at Northwestern University Medical School, Dr. S. David Stulberg began using orthopaedic devices and impla... [continued]
Dr. Dumronk Thanachanant has been an orthopaedic surgeon for over 32 years. He is now a consultant, specializing in arthroplasty to four private hospi... [continued]
A simple misstep from a small curb changed the course of life for Merrilee Tieche for over a year. The result of the stumble was a comminuted fracture... [continued]
Nancy Tongue is a registered nurse who returned to her love of painting full-time nearly 16 years ago. She spends her days capturing color and light w... [continued]
Knitting started off as a simple form of entertainment while in medical school, but the hobby later developed into an important skill for Dr. Michael ... [continued]
Emma Trevino, now age 15, has been a patient at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children since she was 3 years old. She suffers from a congenital sho... [continued]
Martin Valero is an 8-year-old patient with arthrogryposis. He has had several surgeries and a great deal of physical therapy at Shriners Hospitals fo... [continued]
Sculptor, painter, photographer, writer, and poet, Raymond Wiger’s works can be found in galleries and collections throughout the United States and Eu... [continued]
Deborah Williams has been painting professionally for the past 37 years. A graduate of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill with degrees in... [continued]
Diagnosed with Blount’s disease, an abnormal growth in the upper part of the shin bone that causes a child to have bowed legs, 7-year-old Michael Will... [continued]
A second year orthopaedic surgery resident at Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, Dr. Tyler C. Wind’s decision to pursue orthopaedics ... [continued]
Dr. Montri Wongworawat is an orthopaedic surgeon with subspecialty training in hand and upper extremity surgery. In addition, he is a bonsai enthusias... [continued]
Jon Wos was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta (imperfectly formed, brittle bones) at birth. As a result, his bones break easily and his childhood... [continued]
Dr. Booker Wright completed medical school and orthopaedic training at the University of Michigan and is “grateful to the educators and professors who... [continued]
