By Angela Gartner • Photography by Kim Stahnke
When Sherry Noll, 69, had a hip replacement in 2018, she didn’t realize that it would become a life-changing experience.
It was a really severe replacement,” she says, adding that she had been working as a principal at a charter school during that time. “Once I had the surgery, I couldn’t put more than 50% weight on my legs for six weeks and basically I was in a wheelchair. It’s hard because people don’t really understand. (They think) because you have hip surgery, you (should be) fine afterwards.”
While Noll does physical therapy on and off, after her surgery she never walked normally, saying, “It just never healed.”
“I’ve been doing water physical therapy in the pool, and it’s funny I can walk normally, but once I get on land, my mind just doesn’t connect with what my body should do.”
However, it’s not stopping Noll from doing the things she loves, such as traveling. Noll says she can walk short distances while using a cane, but has made adjustments, such as renting scooters or using a wheelchair, if necessary for longer trips.
“It’s been a hard adjustment and I try not to think about it.” she says. “As I’m getting older, if I don’t work on it with exercises and do my routines, walking gets harder and harder. I want to do as much as I can.”
She tries to stay independent, but also has help if needed from her family. In addition to doing water physical therapy, Noll does Pilates, too.
“What I’ve learned is that the most important thing is to build up your core and build up strength,” she says. “Just push yourself to do those things because it’s really easy to get in a rut and not want to walk.
“It’s part of my life now, unfortunately, but I’m not going to let that stop me,” Noll adds. “I just think that it’s so important to recognize that people come in all shapes and sizes with all different kinds of abilities and disabilities, and we have to really be there to help anybody that needs help.”
