In January 2010 I had the exciting opportunity to ski with my friend World Champion skier Dean Cummings and his family at Snowbird in Utah. The day was beautiful, snow conditions good and the company great. It was a thrilling experience but one that ultimately changed my life in so many ways. 
Leaving the children in ski school, the adults set out to make some turns on our own. After making several runs, Dean offered to take us to a ‘secret stash’ he knew of but admitted, ‘the entrance is a little tricky.’ That proved a bit of an understatement. I followed him through the trees but let my fear take over when I discovered just how steep and technical the ‘tricky entrance’ actually was.
To my misfortune, I leaned back on my skis, lost my balance and fell. What followed was a slow motion slide through the trees to a notch at the top of a slope. Dean tried desperately to help me by grabbing the belt on my ski suit while hanging onto a tree. I tried to get my feet under me while hanging onto his boot but I couldn’t get up and almost in slow motion, my hands slipped off his boot. He couldn’t hold me and the tree any longer and let go to try and get a better grip. At that moment, I slipped through the notch and cartwheeled out of control down the slope.
Dean shot off the mountain chasing me down the slope but could do little more than watch in horror as I tumbled head over heels down the mountain. When I finally came to rest I was shook up, stunned and embarrassed. But I appeared to be okay. I managed to get back on my feet and ski the rest of the way down the hill.
The next day, I skied again and took another fall when conditions proved icy and slick. Again I got up more embarrassed than hurt and continued on for the remainder of the day.
Those two falls resulted in a deep, nagging ache in my left hip that just would not go away. For nearly two years I tried pain relievers, chiropractors, massage therapists and finally orthopedic doctors to try and find the root of the problem. In October 2011 an MRI was ordered and I was diagnosed with Femoroacetabular Impingement which is a fancy term that meant I had torn the labrum surrounding the hip joint which resulted in arthritis of the joint that eroded the cartilage and left me with bone on bone. The Orthopedic doctors I saw recommended replacing the hip.
When I researched that option I was horrified and with no insurance, continued on my quest to find a better solution. A month later I met a Naturopathic doctor who recommended Stem Cell treatment.
After more than two years of research I found an orthopedic clinic in California that was performing adult stem cell treatments with very good results. While this is still considered ‘experimental’ the patients that I spoke with were very happy they had undergone this procedure and most had very positive outcomes. So on December 16th, 2013, I made a visit to the clinic and began the process.
It takes a week to complete all of the steps and today, one week later, I am beginning recovery. I am finally able to sleep without a nagging ache in my hip and very hopeful that the joint will regenerate and provide me many more years of pain-free activity.
You can read more about this procedure at http://www.healthlinkcenter.com/ I will be sure and let everyone that is interested in hearing about the long-term results, know how I’m doing in the weeks and months ahead.
