Military Medic Becomes the Perfect Patient: Stephen's Hip Replacement at MidHudson Regional Hospital

Stephen Colt, 58, has led an extraordinarily active life. As a younger man, Stephen served in the 82nd Airborne Division of the Army and in the Special Forces as a medic. He dislocated his hip twice—once after skydiving out of a military aircraft and another after falling off a cliff—and has lived with the pain ever since.

But he never let his decades-long hip problem hold him back. After his time in the Army, he returned to the Hudson Valley to work as a paramedic, a hunting and gun safety instructor and a volunteer firefighter. When he’s not working, he and his wife, Mari Colt, are out and about with their fishing rods and their camper.

Stephen Colt, paramedic with the Pawling Fire District

Accustomed to the pain after all these years, Stephen was hesitant to get a hip replacement. “I’ve been through much worse in my life and I deal with people who are worse off every day. By comparison, my hip pain was nothing,” he said.

However, as the arthritis in his hip grew worse, it began to impact his quality of life and ability to care for his patients.

Stephen sought the expertise of William Thompson, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at MidHudson Regional Hospital. Looking at the CT scan, Dr. Thompson was taken aback by the state of his hip, said Stephen. “Dr. Thompson was surprised I waited so long to come in. The joint was so worn down it looked like a sprocket rather than a round ball.”

They scheduled Stephen’s hip replacement for the following week in November 2023.

During the surgery, Mari, who has worked at MidHudson Regional Hospital for 27 years, stayed in the waiting room. “It’s scary when your loved one goes into surgery, but the nurses were very reassuring and kind. WMCHealth’s text notification system kept me in the loop the entire time with regular updates, which was such a relief,” she said.

Stephen enjoys fishing and being outdoors with his wife, Mari Colt, whenever he's not working.

The surgery was a success, and when Stephen woke up, he was shocked by the instant relief. “The pain was virtually gone,” Stephen said. “I was up and walking that night and went home the next day. I felt brand new.”

For the next two weeks, Stephen had a WMCHealth physical therapist visit his home. “The home care and our physical therapist, Gary Csaszar, were incredible. He was supportive and answered all of my questions,” Stephen said. “After eight weeks, I was back to work and basically back to my normal life. My recovery was quick and painless.”

Mari couldn’t have been happier with Stephen’s outcome, too. “It’s really wonderful to see Stephen out of pain and back to his busy self,” she said. “I'm very proud of where I work. We’ve always loved our providers here, and Dr. Thompson’s team is no exception—they did a phenomenal job.”

About eight months later, Stephen still feels great and is grateful for the MidHudson Regional Hospital team and the successful hip replacement. His only regret? “I wish I had done this sooner!”

If you're grappling with hip or joint pain, don’t wait! Schedule a consultation with one of our providers and learn more by visiting: Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine at MidHudson Regional Hospital.

Stephen served as a medic in the 82nd Airborne Division of the Army and in the Special Forces.