Saint Luke's Newsroom

Dick Pierce was out of joint. A lifetime of injuries, running, basketball, and the wear and tear of weight bearing had eroded the satin-like cartilage that was supposed to cushion the space between his tibia and femur and allow his knees to rotate comfortably.

At 35, Jeff Baker had the ideal life—married, three young daughters, and a rewarding job with a Kansas City law firm practicing construction law. Except he figured he would soon be dead.

Tilly Lotspeich is clearly a woman in charge. You’d have to be, to be a female owner of car dealerships, and to make a success of them in the current economic climate. Lotspeich took over the family-run GM dealership in Warrensburg, Mo., five years ago after her husband died of a heart attack.

If anyone should not have had heart trouble, it was Steve Gregory. Or so you’d think. The 50-year-old entrepreneur was a cardio-workout wonder. Serious cyclist since college days. Avid runner since 2005, good enough to run the 5K Amy Thompson Run. He’d climbed a 14,000-foot mountain and been just fine. But in the summer of 2006, he’d felt a twinge.

Kate Wells and her husband, Michael, had taken advantage of the early check-in offer. So when they arrived early that Thursday in May, they could go right to their room.

Sofie Sneed doesn’t know it yet, but the moment her mom delivered her on June 15, 2009, she did the world a good deed. The cells in the umbilical cord that was her lifeline for nine months became a potential lifesaver for someone else.

Older adults who present at Saint Luke's Hospital with bone fractures will benefit from expedited care through a new program designed to foster a more rapid and complete recovery.

Jim Atwater will tell you that it’s nearly impossible to learn to play music when you can’t hear.

Robert H. West is the 2010 Saint Luke's Hospital Foundation Fellow award recipient for his lifelong support of Saint Luke's Hospital. The award recognizes individuals who have given time, expertise, and charitable support to advance research, education, and medical programs at Saint Luke's.