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Wellstar Ortho Care
Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
Our orthopedic specialists at Wellstar offer complete care for all types of bone, joint and soft tissue injuries and conditions. From diagnosis and treatment through rehabilitation and recovery, we’ve got your back.
Specialty Ortho Care
Sports Medicine
Our sports medicine team specializes in working with sports-related injuries in athletes of all ages and ability levels. In addition to providing expert diagnosis and treatment, the team offers advice on proper technique and conditioning, body mechanics and overall injury prevention. They also help athletes with sports nutrition and performance enhancement.
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Hand & Wrist Care
Wellstar’s skilled hand surgeons perform a broad range of procedures aimed at restoring quality of life. Whether you were born with your condition or it’s a result of injury or aging, we can help. Our hand specialists have extensive experience with non-surgical and minimally invasive surgical options for issues like Dupuytren’s Contracture, carpal tunnel release, cubital tunnel release, De Quervain’s Release, arthroscopic surgery, fracture surgery, thumb UCL repair, ganglion cyst removal, joint fusion, joint replacement, microsurgical repair for fingertip injuries, nerve decompression, tendon repair and trigger finger release.
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Total Joints
At Wellstar, we know that painful bone or joint symptoms can prevent you from living your fullest life. That’s why we deliver orthopedic care that’s tailored for your individual needs. Whether a total joint replacement could help you keep up with your grandchildren or a minimally invasive procedure might get you back on the sports field, our care is designed to help you live the life you want to lead.Learn more
Pediatric Ortho
Our pediatric orthopedic specialists provide comprehensive, compassionate bone and joint care for children and teens. We know that kids are not just little adults. Their bones and joints are still growing, and they need specialized expertise when an injury or disease slows them down.Orthopedic challenges can stem from many causes, including overuse, injury and genetics. From common setbacks, like a broken bone, to more complex orthopedic conditions, we use the latest technology and treatments to provide care, including minimally invasive surgical techniques which typically help reduce discomfort and recovery time. We look at the whole child to assess how an orthopedic condition affects their overall health and wellness.
Finding an effective approach to care that’s right for each individual is always our priority. When clinical expertise is needed, our fellowship-trained Wellstar specialists meet kids right at their level to help them begin moving well again.
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Foot & Ankle Care
Many foot and ankle conditions may require surgery, from bunions to tendon tears and severe arthritis. Usually, foot and ankle surgery is only considered only after nonsurgical treatments have failed. Certain conditions, especially acute injuries such as ankle fractures, may require immediate intervention. There are many surgical and non-surgical treatments that can be used to treat foot and ankle conditions. It is our goal to restore movement and alleviate pain.
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![Forty Thousand Hand-Knit Happy Caps and Counting Kathy DeJoseph holding a knitted hat in front of wall of yarn](/-/media/project/wellstar/org/articles/happycaps_blog_1440.jpg?rev=d2dc0e8e50054151b5617eff1e8931ce)
Newsroom
Forty Thousand Hand-Knit Happy Caps and Counting
There's no cap on giving back for thirteen-year lung cancer survivor Kathy DeJoseph. It was her first day getting chemotherapy when a woman approached Kathy and gifted her a knitted cap in appreciation for her kindness during her husband's cancer treatment. That simple act of gratitude inspired Kathy—and after completing treatment for her own cancer diagnosis, she decided to pay it forward by knitting caps for patients also undergoing chemotherapy and cancer treatments.
This passion project became a purpose project for Kathy as she soon found herself recruiting others who knit from across the nation. Knitters have joined from Pennsylvania to Michigan and Alabama to right here in Georgia to help Kathy's Happy Caps thrive.
Fostering meaningful connections within the Wellstar community is part of the charge for the group of volunteers, whose workshop is located at a Wellstar facility in Cobb County. The volunteers work multiple days a week to hand-knit and package caps donated to cancer patients at metro Atlanta oncology facilities, starting with the Wellstar Health System Cancer Centers.
Together, the group has donated more than 44,000 handmade caps and has no plans to slow down. So, we sat down with Kathy to learn what fuels her passion for knitting.
What makes Happy Caps unique?
"So, they are each handmade with love by someone who cares and wants to make a difference for those facing cancer."
How did Happy Caps evolve over the past twelve years? Did you ever think you would be here with over 40,000 knit caps donated?
“Never! The first few years after I was sick, I volunteered to meet with newly diagnosed cancer patients so they could talk to a survivor.
At the five-year mark, my family suggested that I find another way to help cancer patients. I remembered how I felt when a stranger made me a hat when I was sick, and I decided to try my hand at knitting.
In just a couple of months, hats started showing up non-stop. Within a year, my house was full of hats, and we rented storage space where our volunteers would sort and process them. A year later, there were a couple of hundred volunteers, and after almost six years, we needed more space, and Wellstar met that need.
Sadly, there is no shortage of cancer patients, and so we continue to get new requests for Happy Caps from cancer centers. Now that I am getting older, and so are our volunteers, our volunteer base is getting smaller.”
Who are the Happy Caps volunteers, and why are they so special?
“Just in metro Atlanta, tens of thousands are diagnosed with cancer each year. Most of our volunteers or someone they care about have been affected by cancer. Many are retirement age, but dozens are younger.
Some already knew how to knit or crochet, and others we taught or learned with online videos. They have even formed groups and meet at libraries or senior centers.”
Kathy, what do you need from the community to help Happy Caps to keep thriving?
“I need help reaching potential and current volunteers to meet the high demand. We receive donations that keep us in yarn to provide to volunteers, Wellstar generously provides us workspace, and no one is paid.”
Kathy and her volunteers are looking to grow their knitting network and asking their new friends across the country to pick up their needles and yarn and work to keep their mission thriving.
If you are interested in knitting Happy Caps or joining the team during their weekly knitting dates, reach out to Kathy at [email protected].
Left photo: Wellstar President and CEO Candice L. Saunders joins Happy Caps Founder Kathy DeJoseph. Right photo: Some of the more than 40,000 hats knitted by Happy Caps volunteers
![ScottCare Photo of Scott Hullihen.](/-/media/project/wellstar/org/articles/scotthullihen_blog_1440x972.png?rev=0a50a890629c45d28b23907c8de293fd)
PeopleCare
ScottCare
Every day, Scott Hullihen’s gaze falls on a very unique piece of art hanging in his home.
To the untrained eye, the spiraling streaks across the canvas could be mistaken for an abstract painting in a museum. But for Scott, it holds a much deeper, personal meaning: hope for a cancer-free future.
A closer look reveals a puzzling QR code in the corner of the print and, when scanned, it plays the very voicemail from his Wellstar radiation oncologist that got him through the most difficult days in his cancer journey.
“The picture is his voice in soundwaves. I get to see it every day,” said Scott. “It’s the most thoughtful thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”
The ebbs and flows of the piece show how he conquered the highs and lows of his difficult rectal cancer diagnosis, with support from Wellstar as the constant through it all.
Just like the highly personalized art print, his expert team of physicians formed a tailored care plan for Scott, right down to his DNA.
Together with his Wellstar team, Scott beat cancer and is back to living life to the fullest.
A surprising diagnosis
Scott was a typical guy in his 30s, working in technology and spending time with friends and family.
“Everything was normal,” he said. “I’d go to sporting events or concerts.”
But his diagnosis of colorectal cancer at just 35 years old was anything but typical.
“That was shocking,” he said.
In 2020, Scott’s stomach started hurting—and it didn’t stop. He started eating better and cut certain ingredients from his diet. He regularly rode his bike for 15 miles.
“I was getting in good shape!” he said.
But the pain continued, with an urgency to use the bathroom, constipation and blood. His doctor referred him to a gastroenterologist for a colonoscopy in August. Immediately after the procedure, he learned there was a tumor in his colon.
“It was a quiet car ride,” Scott remembered sitting silently next to his mother, who had driven him there.
That Friday, a biopsy confirmed it was cancer. Scott was immediately referred to the Wellstar Rectal Cancer Multidisciplinary Program, the first and only treatment center in metro Atlanta accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), a quality program by the Commission on Cancer.
Getting the highest level of rectal cancer care
After the weekend, Scott met with Dr. Sahir Shroff, a cancer surgeon.
“People raved about how good a surgeon Dr. Shroff is—I learned he was one of the best in the state,” Scott said. “He saved my life.”
The board-certified and fellowship-trained surgical oncologist reassured Scott.
“This is one of the most subspecialized rectal cancer programs in metro Atlanta,” he said. “Every person with rectal cancer is reviewed at our multidisciplinary meeting to provide the highest level of care.”
Select doctors are designated to stage and treat rectal cancer patients following evidence-based guidelines. The team includes colorectal surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, gastroenterologists, pathologists and radiologists. Higher experience in treating rectal cancer leads to better outcomes for patients.
Scott also had a nurse navigator coordinate his cancer staging and treatment. Nancy Page answered questions and scheduled important appointments, such as CT scans and MRIs as well as meetings with various specialists.
A licensed Wellstar genetic counselor was also on Scott’s team. Amy Ekwurtzel found that Scott had two genetic abnormalities that make him slightly more susceptible to colorectal cancer. This information gave the team additional clues about the best way to care for Scott.
![Wellstar Leads New, Life-Saving Treatment for Ischemic Strokes Image of brain scan.](/-/media/project/wellstar/org/articles/neuroclinicaltrial_blog_1440x972.jpg?rev=326caaaef88144228824ba989ce8a275)
Highlights
Wellstar Leads New, Life-Saving Treatment for Ischemic Strokes
When it comes to strokes, seconds can mean the difference between life, death and lasting damage. That’s why Wellstar Health System is dedicated to developing faster, more effective stroke treatments not just for Georgians, but people across the nation.
Wellstar Director of Stroke & Neurocritical Care Dr. Rishi Gupta helped test a groundbreaking device to treat complex ischemic strokes, working alongside UCLA’s Dr. Jeffrey Saver and device manufacturer Rapid Medical.
During a two-year period, patients in 16 medical centers across the country were enrolled in a clinical trial to develop the state-of-the-art stroke treatment, with Wellstar registering the highest number of participants.
Dr. Gupta’s efforts will have a profound impact on stroke treatment moving forward, as Wellstar continues to lead the pack when it comes to neuro care.
“Wellstar is on the cutting-edge of many new stroke technologies and therapies, through our participation in groundbreaking clinical trials,” Dr. Gupta explained. “Our research not only brings patients in Georgia the most advanced stroke treatments close to home, but can help save more lives across the country.”
Now, neurointerventionalists nationwide will have access to the new, FDA-approved technology called TIGERTRIEVER™ to help stop strokes faster and improve patient outcomes.
Make an Appointment
Our team of experienced orthopedic specialists is here to help.
Booking your orthopedic appointment is quick and easy!
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