Knee replacement has him ready for father-daughter dance
June 30, 2026
Ralph DeMarco winced every morning as he got out of bed.
A football injury he sustained as a wide receiver at James Madison University in the 1970s flared up shortly after his 55th birthday. He went from being an extremely active and athletic high-school teacher – who also coached football, basketball and track – to someone who suddenly had a difficult time climbing stairs.
“My left knee throbbed. There was a bone-on-bone pain that never stopped. Knee braces, ice and pain relievers didn’t work any longer,” said the 70-year-old Upper Yoder Township resident.
His wife of 45 years, Maria, had been trying to convince Ralph to have the knee-replacement surgery for years.
“Without her love and support I’d never have made it through this,” he said. “She’s been my biggest supporter every step of the way.”
Ralph knew the surgery could no longer be delayed.
“My leg was so bent up and deformed, it almost stuck out at a right angle,” he said. “I knew knee-replacement surgery was inevitable.”
He ultimately committed to the operation after deciding, “I desperately want to dance with my daughter, Giana, at her wedding this fall.”
There was no question that the surgery would be done at the Conemaugh Health System.
“Sometimes, I hear people say, ‘I’m going to Pittsburgh or Philadelphia for this or that operation.’ No way. Not for me,” Ralph said. “It doesn’t get any better than right here at Conemaugh. I never thought of going anywhere else.”
The surgeon who performed the operation this past March was someone Ralph knew quite well: orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Goodrich, a fellow McCort High School football coach and former standout linebacker at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
“He explained every step in the surgery and how I’d feel afterward. And today, I feel great,” said Ralph, a teacher and principal at schools throughout the Johnstown area for nearly 50 years.
“Now, I wake up in the morning and there’s no pain. It’s amazing.”
The father of four and grandfather of three said he has been strengthening his knee twice weekly at the Western Pennsylvania Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinic. He raves about the care provided by the staff there.
“The therapists are great and they push me really hard. But now I have 130-degrees range of motion in my leg and I feel great,” he said. “I can’t even remember the last time my knee felt this good or was this strong.”
Strong enough, he laughed, to even withstand a “hit-and-run” encounter with a shopping cart at a local grocery store. “Ouch, I had a nasty bruise afterward, but the knee is great,” he said.
Ralph recommends Conemaugh to anyone and everyone who asks about his surgery.
“My treatment there was top-notch,” he said. “From every appointment I had, to the operation with Doctor Goodrich, to the rehab I’m having now – everyone makes me feel like I’m the only patient they’re working with. And that’s very special.”