‘I’ve never met a doctor like him’

She broke her own rule. Then she broke her leg – in two places.  

Lat’hesia Hinton arrived home from work at U.S. Bank in Johnstown on a rainy November evening. Instead of removing her wet shoes, as usual, she immediately went about cooking dinner for her five children.  

Wrong move.  

Lat’hesia slipped on the kitchen floor and broke her leg in two places. Stabbing pain ensued – as did an ambulance ride to Conemaugh Memorial Hospital’s emergency room. 

“I knew the kids were hungry and I was in a rush. So, I broke my own rule about removing wet shoes – and I paid dearly for it,” said Lat’hesia, a 46-year-old widow and resident of Johnstown. 

Dr. Richard Goodrich, an orthopedic surgeon, performed surgery on Lat’hesia’s leg. Rather than placing the injured leg into a plaster cast, Dr. Goodrich opted to use an “external fixator” – a stabilizing frame – positioned outside the body – used to hold broken bones in place while they heal. 

While external fixators have been commonly used for hundreds of years, major advances were achieved during wartime, including the Afghanistan War, during which Dr. Goodrich, a U.S. Navy captain, served at the Kandahar Airfield NATO Hospital.  

“Doctor Goodrich said my leg was swollen way too much to put a cast on it,” Lat’hesia said. “The fixator was very sturdy and promoted better, faster healing. My leg feels great now and I’m as active as ever.” 

She raves about the care delivered by Dr. Goodrich and highly recommends him to others. “In fact, he’s going to do robotic hip-replacement surgery next week on a friend of mine from church,” she said.  

“I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to operate on me. Doctor Goodrich is 100% wonderful across the board with the surgery, his care and his concern. He’s so personable and motivational. I’ve never met a doctor like him.” 

Something Dr. Goodrich told Lat’hesia the day she was discharged from Conemaugh Memorial Hospital will “stick with me forever.” 

“We talked about God and he told me that he would pray for me,” said Lat’hesia, a member of the Shiloh Baptist Church in Johnstown. “I’ll always remember and treasure that.” 

She said that after her rehabilitation, Dr. Goodrich presented her with a beautifully wrapped present.  
 
“He cleaned up the fixator and packed it into a pretty, pink package for me,” Lat’hesia said with a broad smile. “It's an endearing reminder to follow my own rule about taking off wet shoes whenever I get home.”