Hard Work and Resiliency: Barb’s Story of Getting Back to an Active Life with Knee Replacement Surgery

Although she’s not native to the Upper Peninsula, Barb Helminen has a foundation similar to many within our community, built upon hard work, sacrifice and resilience.

“My parents always taught me to work hard,” she said. “So that’s what I did.”

A tax accountant by trade, but a general contractor by hobby, Barb and her husband of 52 years have built several homes from the ground up, putting her body through the hard physical labor of digging basements, wiring, plumbing, laying flooring, painting and roofing.

“I couldn’t sit on my posterior all day. I had to do something,” she said. “We love it and don’t regret it, but at some point, you do pay the price for it. My body started to show some wear and tear.”

Over the years, the pain in her knees had slowly progressed from achy to excruciating. And when you build your identity on an idea like working hard, it can be difficult to navigate a decline in your health that takes away the ability to move physically without pain. She struggled with the limitations on her active life and wasn’t going to give up on the things she loved, like gardening, home projects, chasing around her grandkids and walking her dog. So, it was time to address it.

“I put off my knee surgery for probably about 15 years,” said Barb, detailing the sacrifices made for her family that kicked the can down the road. In 2018, she helped her husband through an unexpected open-heart surgery and recovery. In 2019, they moved to Houghton to be closer to her daughter, her son-in-law and their four kids. Despite what they had built for themselves in Missouri, including a beautiful retirement home, family comes first. It was important to Barb and her husband, Ray, to be a more active part in their family's lives and community. After getting settled in the Copper Country and managing life through the pandemic, Ray suffered a fractured femur from a fall on the ice last year, which required surgery and established the family as patients of UP Health System – Portage (UPHS – Portage).

“We were just absolutely thoroughly impressed with the care, the aftercare—everything,” she said. “It made me start to think about how I wanted to finally do something about my bad knees after he was fully recovered. It had gotten to the point where I could not even walk around in a store. I’d take three steps and the pain would be so severe, I’d have to sit. I couldn’t even sleep, the pain kept me up at night. It never went away.”

Barb’s reckoning with her own pain happened to perfectly align with the onboarding of Orthopedic Surgeon Andre Oulai, MD, — a total joint specialist — earlier this year. She was ready to pursue treatment and he was here to provide it. Traveling wasn’t necessary for her care making the decision to move forward with it an easy one — what she needed was available right here, close to home.

Following the initial consult in which she met Dr. Oulai and his team, Barb said she felt comfortable and confident, with no concerns whatsoever.

“All of my questions were addressed and I knew exactly what to expect,” she said, adding that she really liked that Dr. Oulai took the time to get to know her and the type of patient she is, tailoring his responses appropriately.

“I asked him not to sugarcoat it and he didn’t,” she said. “He listened and evaluated it in terms I could understand and connect with. And that gave me all the confidence I needed. I knew then I didn’t need another opinion or a different doctor. He was my guy.”

On July 9, 2024, was her total knee replacement surgery. The surgery itself requires a surgical incision, typically 6-10 inches, on the front of the knee through which damaged tissue and bone are removed from the joint. The surgeon then prepares the area and implants a prosthetic joint made of metal and plastic, which is positioned to ensure proper alignment, function and stability for the patient.

The surgery went well, and she was pleased with the attentive care by staff during her postoperative stay at the hospital.

“They made sure I was comfortable the entire time,” she said. “I was not in any pain. They could not have improved my care in any way, shape or form. It was perfect and I was so happy with it.”

In addition to the great medical care she received, Barb was also thoroughly impressed with the culture at UPHS – Portage, having mostly had experiences with larger medical facilities and hospitals in the past. The rapport she had with staff, as well as that “family feeling” you get from personalized care stood out to her.

“The dedication of each team member, to the patient and their fellow team members—you don’t see that often, and here you do,” she said. “Their ability to connect through open communication was supported by the fact that each team—whether it was physical therapy, pre-op, the surgery team, post-op on the second floor—is made up of dedicated, respectful, professional people. It’s really incredible.”

Since her surgery, Barb has been focused on being an active participant in her recovery – pushing herself to complete physical therapy and exercise to support healing but not too much to deter or slow down progress. But she’s (mostly) back to doing the things she loves, and at 72 years old, doesn’t expect to slow down anytime soon.

“I’ve been outside tending to my flowers, lightweight stuff. I’m not carting around mulch or anything just yet but I’m at about 70 percent of my normal activity levels.”

When she has to return in a few years to repair her left knee, Barb said without hesitation that she’ll be back at UPHS – Portage. 

Dr. Oulai is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and fellowship-trained total joint specialist and is a valued member of UPHS – Portage’s skilled and experienced team of orthopedic providers. In addition to total knee replacements, Dr. Oulai provides treatment and surgical procedures for the posterior total hip, minimally invasive anterior total hip, total joint revisions and general fracture care.

 He is located at 500 Campus Dr., Ste. 1, Hancock, MI 49930. Looking for joint pain relief? Take our joint pain assessment. To learn more or make an appointment, call 906.483.1040 or visit UPHealthSystem.com/Orthopedics.