"I like to work tough": Why Leatha didn't let hip pain win

At 75 years old, Leatha from Goodland, Kan., knows what it means to work hard. She spent her younger years on cattle ranches with her husband, pulling calves and handling long days of physical labor. Later, she worked as a server and cook — jobs that kept her on her feet for hours at a time. “I like to work tough,” she said. But in recent years, hip pain made even the simplest movements unbearable. “The pain was constant,” she explained. “I could hardly walk at times.” 

Determined to find a solution, Leatha tried multiple approaches. Doctors initially suspected degenerative disc disease or an old knee injury, and she also explored chiropractic care and pain management. Despite all these efforts, the pain persisted. Finally, she was referred to Western Orthopaedics in Denver, where she met Dr. Sean Baran, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine as well as hip and knee replacement. 

Dr. Baran reviewed her X-rays and immediately identified the root of her suffering. “He walked into the room and said, ‘Both your hips are shot,’” Leatha said. “And I was actually happy because I knew I was finally going to get some relief.” 

Within weeks, Dr. Baran performed her first hip replacement. The process was smooth and efficient — Leatha had surgery one afternoon and returned home the very next day. The results were life changing.

“The pain is so much better, I don’t even know how to describe it,” she said. “Compared to what it was, it’s like night and day.” 

Even though she is still waiting for her second hip replacement, her mobility has improved, her pain has decreased dramatically and she’s beginning to think about the activities she once loved. She dreams of being able to work a few hours a day again — and, with a laugh, she added that maybe even getting back on a horse could be possible, though she admitted that might be a long shot.

She credited Dr. Baran not only for his surgical expertise but also for his compassionate approach. “He’s wonderful,” she said. “He’s knowledgeable, caring and has such a good bedside manner. I mean it with all my heart — he and my friend, Fran McVey, are blessings from God.” 

Looking back, she only wishes she had found Dr. Baran sooner. She encourages anyone struggling with hip pain not to wait. “Definitely go see Dr. Baran,” she said. “If you don’t do anything else, you better do that.”