In a Sunshine State of Mind: All thanks to Wilson | Brenda Nisinger

Brenda Nisinger is looking forward to the Florida sunshine. She is the grandmother of three, and the
family tradition has been to head south and enjoy the sunshine and downtime.

Brenda is confident she’ll be able to enjoy herself the next time the family books a trip to the Sunshine
State. That’s because she is now in her rehabilitation phase after undergoing knee replacement surgery
in November.

Working in her yard had become difficult, as had going to the gym. Sleeping, sitting and standing all
caused pain. Cortisone shots and gel injections didn’t work, either.

“I could hardly walk without gritting my teeth,” Brenda said.

The experience with Wilson Medical Center staff gave Brenda confidence that her pain-free walking
days would become a reality. Brenda, a Wilson native, gave credit to Dr. Ryan Mitchell, an orthopedist
whom she said helped her through the surgery decision process by presenting all available options.

After surgery was decided as the best course of action, Brenda said the positive staff interactions
continued with the surgical team and then the staff on the third floor, even after she had a few post surgery complications.

“They all had great attitudes, and everyone was so patient and compassionate,” Brenda said. “If
someone works with a smile on their face, that rubs off to others, and that means a lot. The staff didn’t
make me feel like a burden. That means a lot to me.”

Now that Brenda is in her physical therapy stage, she has progressed to walking without the use of a
cane. She has two previous experiences with physical therapy but said this go-round is much better,
mainly because of the team assembled.

“I cannot praise the rehab personnel enough,” Brenda said. “It’s a wonderful team, with wonderful
people. I don’t always enjoy getting physical therapy because it doesn’t always feel good, but I trust the
team immensely. I trust them to do what’s right for me.”