Henry Holland, a retired general management professional who has lived in Kalamazoo for many years with his family, had double knee replacement surgery recently at Borgess Medical Center. “I chose Borgess to fix my knees because of its reputation and the excellent care I had received in the emergency room five years ago,” he says.

“From the moment of check-in at Borgess Medical Center until my discharge, everything went smoothly,” he stresses. “I was cared for with kindness and never felt like just a number or a statistic. Borgess will always be my hospital of choice.” Last year more than 20,000 patients were discharged after being treated at Borgess and more than 60,000 patients visited the ER.

As a youth, Henry contracted a rare form of typhoid while in high school and was told it would probably cause knee problems later in life. And it did. Decades later, in 2008, Henry went hiking with his family - which includes two active teenage sons - and realized his decreased mobility and increased pain were severely limiting his ability to enjoy life. That’s when he turned to Borgess.

“My orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Mark Noffsinger is incredibly gifted and skillful – you can barely see my scars - and the hospital staff was attentive and caring during my stay. The post-operative Joint Camp at Borgess carefully taught me what I needed to know to recover properly and regain my mobility.”

At one point, Henry recalls not being able to put on his socks without help. “The physical and occupational therapists at Borgess taught me the strengthening exercises and daily skills tips I needed to move forward in my recovery period,” he says. “I’ve always had good experiences with my care at Borgess. They have an exceptional team attitude and it shows in everything they do for their patients.” Henry knows teamwork. He was a college athlete and currently volunteers his wealth of knowledge for a local Christian school system. The 69-year-old active “retiree” is also now living with much less pain and enjoying better flexibility with both of his “new” knees.

Henry was recently moved to make a donation to the Borgess Foundation to help others less fortunate. “I am well aware that not-for-profit hospitals like Borgess are partially supported by fundraising,” he notes. “Fees do not cover everything, particularly when there are people without the ability to pay.” Charitable care at Borgess for the medically uninsured - including many hard-working families with children - has grown by 200 percent in the past two years. Last year alone we helped 15,615 people access care at Borgess.

Gifts from generous people like you will help ensure that compassionate, quality care health care remains accessible. You probably know a few of your friends, neighbors or family members who are struggling in these tough economic times. Please consider joining Henry and all of us at Borgess in our healing mission. Make a tax-deductible donation to the Borgess Foundation today.