PATIENT LOSES A WHOPPING 47KG BEFORE LIFE CHANGING SURGERY

A humble man


Mr. Fred Dockendorff is a humble man with a humble job. As a groundsman at a primary school he doesn’t make a lot of money, but he gets by.


He is hardworking and does his best at the very physical tasks ahead of him every day. Tasks which became almost impossible when he was diagnosed with avascular necrosis (AVN) – a disease which cut off blood supply to his hips, causing them to rapidly deteriorate.


Losing hope


As soon as doctors determined that the swelling and debilitating pain in Fred’s legs were because of AVN, he was placed on the waiting list for replacement surgery at various government hospitals.

mr dockendorff- OHH

A waiting list that meant that Fred would only be receiving his surgery in about five years. He continued to work – walking eight city blocks on crutches every day – but the pain was becoming too much and he was losing hope. Luckily, Triomf Kliniek learnt of Fred’s situation and brought him in touch with Operation Healing Hands. An OHH team was ready to help, but before that could happen, another challenge lay ahead of Fred.


Losing weight


Fred as told that, in order for his hip replacement surgery take place, he would have to drastically lose weight, and a lot of it. Fred rose to the challenge and lost an almost unimaginable 47kg! In April of 2019, he received his hip replacement surgery at Zuid-Afrikaans Hospital – courtesy of Operation Healing Hands.


Looking ahead


Two years ago, Fred Dockendorff was sure that his life was over. He was overweight, unhappy and living with immense pain every day. Now, he has a brand new hip and brand new health to face a brand new day!

~ Article by Magriet Stander