Patient Does Victory Laps After Life-Changing Surgeries
L
ynda Leopold has journeyed “The path that led me here down many paths during wasn’t by chance,” Lynda said. “I’m her life, but at age 73 there firmly convinced of that and so is one in particular that she is Dr. Merritt. There was a higher still remembers vividly. power that was leading us both on “On May 20, 1957, my mom, my this very good collision course.” brother, and I were living in a suburb After 51 surgeries—the last of Kansas City, and there was a 10 with Dr. Merritt—Lynda still tornado,” Lynda recalled. “It picked marvels at the ease of everyday me up, carried me about a quarter of tasks like tying her shoe. But a new a mile, and when it set me down, it dream has put her body in motion didn’t do it very gently.” like never before. In 2007 Lynda The tornado was one of the most discovered lap swimming while powerful ever recorded. “It picked doing rehabilitation in the pool. me up inside the house,” Lynda “After I had my aortic aneurysm said. “I remember that distinctly, repair,” Lynda said, “I said to myself, Lynda Leopold and Dr. Merritt until I hit an immovable object and ‘You know, you need to start ticking got a concussion. There was nothing left of our house. some of these things off your bucket list,’ and one thing Absolutely nothing.” on my bucket list was to medal at a swim meet.” Lynda lost her mom and brother in the tornado, and “I compete with able-bodied swimmers. I compete her injuries were extensive. “I broke my left femur and against former Olympians, former Olympic coaches, and my right elbow, I had a 2x4 impaled in my right knee, people who’ve learned to swim in the last year,” she said. and I had an open fracture dislocation of my right hip,” “I generally come in last, but I’ve resigned myself to that.” Lynda said. “Surgeons at the time wanted to do an In 2019, Lynda won a medal at the U.S. Masters Long above-the-hip amputation, but thankfully, my dad said Course National no. Fortunately, my face was mostly saved from the Championships trauma, and it’s been a journey since then.” and was invited That journey—during which she cultivated a career to join the Rose in recreation and education—has taken Lynda through Bowl Masters countless doctor’s visits, medical interventions, and swim team. hospital stays. Leading specialists around the country “A student once tried their best to restore her mobility. “Everybody used asked me, ‘If you to say, ‘Well, I can fix this,’ but they couldn’t,” she said. could go back and A long-awaited breakthrough arrived when Lynda have the tornado met orthopedist Philip Merritt at Adventist Health not happen, would Glendale. “Dr. Merritt has basically put me back you?’” Lynda said. together,” she said. “He’s been a miracle worker, and it’s “No, I wouldn’t been a 31-year journey with him.” change it, because Those 31 years have been full of miracles for Lynda. I wouldn’t be who I Six years ago, while she was getting ready for one of her am today, and I’m surgeries with Dr. Merritt, the medical team discovered happy with who I a thoracic aortic aneurysm that would have otherwise am today.” gone unnoticed. The team at Adventist Health Glendale ____________________ performed surgery to replace her aorta. By Kirsten Cutler
Adventist Health
April 2022 49
