Olivia Young

Driving 3500 miles a month, Olivia Young is no stranger to long hours. After recently going back to school for her masters degree in hospitality, Olivia knew that she wouldn’t be cutting back on work any time soon. The fact that she maintains an active lifestyle, makes frequent trips to the gym, and has had no prior health problems, made what happened on Easter Sunday, 2012 even more of a shock.

“I was walking, not doing anything out of the ordinary, when I heard a loud crack. A little bit later my left knee started to swell enormously and the pain was tremendous,” said Olivia. She went straight to the emergency room where she was told she needed to see an orthopedist as soon as possible. Unsure of where to go, Olivia asked family and friends. The answer every time was the same: Seek out Dr. Sutherland.

Before her appointment, Olivia was nervous. She didn’t understand what was going on. That quickly changed. Dr. Sutherland quickly identified that she had Osteoarthritis, which as he explained, meant that the cartilage in her left knee had torn apart and that she would need a knee replacement. Instead of being scared, Olivia says that she was put at ease by Dr. Sutherland’s calm demeanor and his ability to explain to her what was going on in a way that she could understand. “He spent so much time carefully explaining everything that was going on and how he was going to help me live with this, that I knew I went to the right place.”

According to Olivia, Dr. Sutherland went above and beyond, performing her surgery to clean out the broken cartilage and find her a rehab center for her recovery. In light of her condition, she was unable to take the stairs, making it impossible for her to live in her own home. Dr. Sutherland told her he would do everything possible to make her life more manageable, and he personally helped her clear insurance hurdles to construct an elevator in her house without incurring extensive costs.

Throughout her appointments and physical therapy, Olivia felt like she could always reach Dr. Sutherland. “Having a doctor that you can call and who returns your calls by phone, or makes time in person, makes you feel like you have a partner through this and not just a doctor.”

Olivia’s experience went so well that now she is the one passing along the advice. In May she sent her mother-in-law to him when she needed a knee replacement. Olivia too will need a knee replacement in the future, and there’s no doubt in her mind who she’ll turn to when that day comes.