Marcel Reynolds, who is 98-years-young, has never made plans to slow down. While a successful engineer, he became an avid woodworker, crafting all the doors, corbels and decorative work for his New Mexico home. Upon approaching retirement, he deliberately transitioned into hobby farming – a planned lifestyle shift he credits for his health and longevity.
“I really didn’t slow down when I retired,” says Reynolds. “My days were spent working the farm, which was a significant change to my normal routine. It was very interesting to me and I enjoyed doing it, so it was a pleasure.”
Reynolds then made another transition, moving to Arkansas to live with his daughter, Teresa Nead, and his son-in-law. It was there he began having difficulty walking. Years of wear and tear with aging had left him with no cartilage in either knee; he felt weak and unsteady.
“We noticed his mobility was going downhill,” says Nead. “We were going to see this vital, active man become immobile in a matter of months if we didn’t do something.”
After visits with local physicians, the family learned Reynolds would need both knee joints replaced, but was told he wasn’t a candidate due to his age. Fortunately, a nurse encouraged them to seek a second opinion at The Orthopaedic Center in Tulsa, where they met orthopedic surgeon Gregory Holt, M.D.
“Dr. Holt took one look at him and said, ‘This guy is in better shape than some of the 50-year-olds I work on,” says Nead. “He looked at his overall health and fitness – not just his age.”
Holt performed both knee replacements, prioritizing the worse knee first, and kept anesthesia time as brief as possible in consideration of Reynold’s age. Recovery involved daily in-home machine therapy followed by outpatient physical therapy.
The results speak for themselves. At 98, Reynolds has returned to the activities he loves, including outdoor trail rides and daily indoor stationary bike sessions.
Holt believes Reynolds’ success came down to being active, motivated, cognitively sharp and having a supportive family. He also hopes the story changes how patients think about age and surgery.
“Age is definitely an important consideration, but it should not be the only consideration,” says Holt. “I often tell patients that when they start avoiding a trip to the mailbox or the store because of pain, that’s the sign the knees need to be addressed, because stopping activity leads to weight gain and muscle weakness that will eventually make surgery harder.”
Holt also notes that with modern robotic and computer-assisted techniques, the procedure can be performed in under an hour.
He’s had numerous patients who were physically active and enjoyed their work or hobbies, but felt that they needed to stop because of their knee pain. However, after knee replacement surgery, they were able to return to their activities.
“I have several patients who have returned to snow skiing after both knees were replaced and it’s routine for patients to go back to golf and doubles tennis,” he says. “Most importantly, they are able to walk and be active without severe pain. While there are risks, of course, with any procedure, the vast majority of patients do very well with the surgery.”
For Nead, the choice was everything.
“I would highly recommend knee surgery for somebody that is active like my dad,” she says. “Without these surgeries, he would either be bedridden, in a wheelchair, or not even alive.”
Reynolds himself keeps the philosophy simple: “Keeping up my exercise and keeping up my mental interests and responsibilities – I really believe my health has been due to that activity.”
