Back on Her Feet

Joyce needs no help when it comes to describing White Plains Hospital orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jakub Tatka, who successfully got her back on her feet with hip replacement surgery in early 2025.

"He gave me my life back by taking me out of the pain I was in," she declares. "He's personable, compassionate, and was with me every step of the way. Anyone who needs hip surgery should go to him."

Joyce's search for a hip surgeon began after she returned from a trip. "I'm very active, and I walk a lot, but the pain in my right hip was getting bad. It was 90-95% gone (from bone erosion over time), and I was in a state of denial," she says. Joyce drove 90 minutes to see Dr. Tatka, who couldn't believe that she had remained so mobile with the deterioration she'd experienced. "From our first meeting, I knew he was the real deal," she says.

Dr. Tatka performed anterior hip replacement surgery, which involves making an incision in the front of the groin, rather than on the side – as with the traditional, posterior hip replacement surgery. This allows the surgeon to reach the hip joint by separating muscles, rather than splitting them, making for less pain and potentially, as was the case with Joyce, less recovery time.

"He never oversold it, but was absolutely on the mark," she marvels. "I was home the night of the surgery and didn't even need physical therapy due to Dr. Tatka's amazing work. And the Hospital's staff? Forget about it! I got cards from the nurses afterwards about how much they'd enjoyed having me and wishing me well."

A few months later she was able to accompany her family to Disney World in celebration of her grandson's second birthday. She had no trouble chasing after him, which she says is one of her favorite pastimes.