I am 1 of 2 Michigan surgeons who can perform a total wrist replacement. I am Henry.

For 21 long years, Keshia Triplett believed living with arthritic hand pain was just something she had to live with. An existence where simple activities that most take for granted—like holding a coffee cup or her adorable one-year-old grandson—were a source of stress and severe discomfort.

Then, in 2021, Keshia met Dr. Charles Day, and her world changed. Thanks to a rare procedure that brings everyday joy back to patients in her situation. In fact, the total wrist replacement that Dr. Day performed for Keshia was the first performed at Henry Ford Health.

“The hand is the first touchpoint for everything we interact with. We use them to work, feed ourselves and they’re a huge part of how we communicate,” Dr. Day explains. “What’s remarkable about total wrist replacement, when you find the right candidate, is that you can preserve 80 degrees of motion within the wrist. Whereas you get almost no motion with wrist fusion.”

Not every orthopedic surgeon can offer this procedure. In fact, Dr. Day is one of only two in the state of Michigan. Which explains why recently, Susan Cooper was willing to travel all the way from Howell, MI to become Henry Ford Health’s second total wrist replacement recipient.

Susan had long been inhibited by intense pain and arthritis within her hands as well. For that reason, she was drawn to the story she read about Keshia online, and she wanted to see if total wrist replacement could offer her the same total return to the life she missed.

As a museum exhibit designer and graphic artist, Susan’s hands are her life. Much like manufacturers, musicians, carpenters, teachers—everyone, really. And Susan was elated to learn she was indeed a candidate to receive the rare procedure. Today, she’s back to being herself at work at pursuing her passion of painting during her downtime—pain free.

“You don’t specialize in hand surgery because it’s easy. There are far more bones that are close to crucial nerve endings and tendons than you’ll find in the knee, for example. It’s delicate to say the least. But we do complicated procedures, because they allow us to simplify life for people with extreme pain.”

By taking pain out of the equation for the patients who need it most, Dr. Charles Day is using his hands to reconnect people with the power of their own. Through compassion, innovation and a passion for doing things the hard way in the name of easier, more enjoyable lives, he is Henry.