For 79-year-old Margie Theobald, few things bring more joy than staying active and spending time with her family. But for years, chronic knee pain controlled her life and kept her from doing the things she loved most. What started as lingering discomfort from a high school injury slowly turned everyday activities into painful challenges.
The prospect of knee replacement surgery wasn’t new to Margie, having had her left knee replaced at a hospital in Missouri in 2013. “That first surgery went wonderfully,” Margie recalls. “I knew I’d eventually need to have my right knee done too, but life got in the way. I kept putting it off, thinking I could just live with the pain. Over time, it only continued to get worse.”
As the years passed, the right knee became more debilitating. Margie went from using a cane to a walker and eventually reached a point where she couldn’t stand or walk without support. “There were times when I couldn’t even put my body weight on that leg,” she says. “I convinced myself I could live the rest of my life using a cane, but eventually I realized I couldn’t live like that and I didn’t want to.”
The pain began to affect more than her mobility; it impacted her social life and her sense of independence. “When it got to the point that I couldn’t attend family functions, that hurt more than the physical pain,” Margie says. “I didn’t want to drag a walker everywhere or feel like a burden. I started missing out on birthdays, holidays, and gatherings because I just couldn’t keep up.”
A lifelong educator and former physical education teacher, Margie had always been active—teaching swimming for more than 30 years and enjoying walking and biking well into her 70s. “I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life in a wheelchair,” she says. “That wasn’t me.”
Determined to take back her freedom, Margie made an appointment with Morris Hospital Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, where she first met orthopedic surgeon Dr. Stephen Treacy. After reviewing her X-rays, he referred her to Dr. Ahmed Eldib, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in robotic-assisted total knee replacement.
“When Dr. Treacy came in during my first appointment, he said, ‘You need to see Dr. Eldib,’” Margie recalls. “He told me my knee was so bad that the arthritis had even started to invade the top of my tibia bone. That’s when I knew it was time to finally have surgery.”
Before undergoing surgery, Dr. Eldib recommended physical therapy to help Margie strengthen her leg and improve alignment. That’s when Margie met physical therapist Gianna Kreiger, who quickly became an important part of Margie’s recovery. “Gianna was absolutely wonderful,” Margie says. “She understood the pain I was in but still pushed me to do what I needed to do. She never let me give up.”
In August 2025, Margie underwent Mako robotic-arm assisted total knee replacement surgery performed by Dr. Eldib at Morris Hospital. Just weeks after surgery, she is back to doing the things she loves—and doing them without pain.
“I’m carrying laundry again, walking without help, even getting down on the floor to play with my little nieces and nephews, and getting back up by myself!” she says, laughing. “That’s something I hadn’t done for years.”
Margie credits her care team at Morris Hospital for giving her the confidence to move forward. “Everyone — from Dr. Eldib and Dr. Treacy to my physical therapist — was so positive and encouraging,” she says. “No one ever told me I was too old for surgery. In fact, they said there were 80-year-olds having knee replacements right now. That gave me hope.”
Looking ahead, Margie is grateful she took a leap of faith. “My advice to others is simple: don’t let age stop you,” she says. “If you’re living with pain, you don’t have to. I’m proof that it’s never too late to take your life back.”