The Joys of Grandparenting

Knee pain prevented Anthony Greco from doing all the things he loved: gardening, working on cars and taking long walks. But the thing that bothered Greco the most – the thing that really tore him up inside – was that he couldn’t spend quality time with his four grandchildren.

“I like to be part of their lives,” says the 68-year-old Dunmore man. “But I was in too much pain, and that really, really bothered me.” Now, after a knee replacement at Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute, part of Jefferson Health, Greco is back to kneeling on the floor to play with miniature race cars, tossing the ball around in the back yard and climbing to the top of the bleachers to watch high school sports.

“I have zero pain now. Zero,” he says. “You don’t realize how much pain you were in until you no longer have any pain.”
 

Greco had been suffering from knee pain for years, he says, because of severe arthritis that he attributes to wear and tear caused by his time as a cable repairman in the U.S. Air Force.

“It was to the point where it was hurting me 24 hours a day,” he says. “It would wake me up from sleep. It was so frustrating because it would ache so badly.”

So he turned to Thomas Jordan, MD, an orthopedic and sports medicine surgeon. In December 2025, Dr. Jordan replaced Greco’s right knee at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Dickson City.

“By the time I went back to see him around three months after the surgery, after I had completed physical therapy,” Greco says, “I didn’t have an ounce of pain.”

Before his surgery, Greco spent a great deal of time with an icebag on his knee after even a little activity. Now, he spends time with his grandchildren instead.

Michael, 16, plays high school football. “He’s a lineman, so you need to be up high to see him during the game. I couldn’t climb the bleachers before, but now I will be able to,” Greco says.

Luke, 14, is in track, basketball, baseball and football, and he likes to toss the ball around with papa in the yard. And Seger, 6, is big into gymnastics, cheerleading and baseball.

Now there’s no pain, and no longer a reason for Greco to miss a game, meet or performance.

Then there’s Nash, age 4. “He likes to get on the floor to drive his toy trucks,” Greco says. “And he really wants you to be down there with him. Now that’s no problem for me.”

Being able to get back to activities with the grandkids is just one of the many benefits of knee replacement, according to Dr. Jordan. “It allows patients to get back to any activities that they enjoy, including walking, hiking, biking and even running,” he says.

Knee replacement, says Dr. Jordan, promotes cardiovascular and pulmonary health, as well as mental well-being.

“What stands out about Anthony's case is his positive attitude and compliance with his therapy,” says his physical therapist, Jennifer Sheruda-Slater, with LVHN Rehabilitation Services–Dunmore.

“It’s helpful when total joint patients have a clear, realistic picture of what to expect after surgery,” she says. “Identifying issues such as pain, stiffness or swelling, and working with patients to address them, is key to successful rehabilitation,” she says. Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute offers extensive, expert orthopedic care “across the entire spectrum of musculoskeletal disease,” says Dr. Jordan, including surgery and non-surgical treatments.

Dr. Jordan is a board-certified and fellowship-trained sports medicine surgeon who specializes in arthroscopic surgery and joint replacement of the knee and shoulder. He also is the team physician for the Dunmore Bucks high school football team.

“Dr. Jordan was terrific,” Greco says. “He explained everything thoroughly, and has a very good doctor-patient manner. He really puts you at ease.” Greco also has words of praise for the staff and facility at LVH–Dickson City. “That’s a terrific hospital,” he says. “The staff there is amazing and everyone took great care of me.”

There is one downside, however, to being back to his normal physical activities so quickly: “My wife’s a flower gardener,” Greco says. “She does the flowers, and now that I can kneel again, I have to do all the weeding.”