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Patient Profile - Dorothy Bridges

 “You can’t have my leg.”

A patient’s determination and the Inova Fairfax Hospital Musculoskeletal Tumor program beat a rare bone sarcoma.

Dorothy Bridges was already planning to visit her primary care doctor when she broke her femur in July 2005. Author, mother, and caregiver to her elderly mother, Dorothy had been experiencing minor swelling and pain in her leg, but intended to wait until after a family reunion later that month to call the doctor.

During the operation to repair the femur, Dorothy’s orthopedic surgeon noticed something abnormal. Although not known at the time, the abnormality Dorothy’s surgeon identified was a tumor.

Bone tumors often require the attention of a specialist with expertise in both oncology and orthopedics. Dorothy’s oncologist, Dr. Anthony Felice, referred her to Dr. Felasfa Wodajo at the Inova Fairfax Hospital Musculoskeletal Tumor Program.

Dr. Wodajo, one of only three orthopedic oncologists in the DC metropolitan region and the only one in Northern Virginia, diagnosed Dorothy with an aggressive bone sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that occurs in bones and connective tissues.

Given the severity of her sarcoma and the surgery she had undergone for the fracture, Dr. Wodajo determined that Dorothy had two treatment options: amputate the affected thigh, or undergo a radical procedure to replace her entire femur bone, from her hip to her knee, with a metallic prosthesis.

Dorothy’s response was deliberate and steadfast. “You can’t take my leg.”

Patient diagnosis and treatment in Inova Fairfax Hospital’s Musculoskeletal Tumor Program is facilitated by the attentive care of the program’s care coordinator, Amy Siegel. Amy, a registered nurse and long-time member of the Inova Cancer Center team, schedules appointments, x-rays, biopsies, and helps plan multidisciplinary meetings to determine patient treatments. Her efforts ensure that no stone is left unturned and each visit is coordinated and comprehensive. Her clinical expertise and compassion helps patients keep their lives in order as they travel through the maze of doctor’s appointments, physical therapy, and other treatments. Amy’s role is just another example of how Inova takes patient care Beyond Medicine.

Patient diagnosis and treatment in Inova Fairfax Hospital’s Musculoskeletal Tumor Program is facilitated by the attentive care of the program’s care coordinator, Amy Siegel. Amy, a registered nurse and long-time member of the Inova Cancer Center team, schedules appointments, x-rays, biopsies, and helps plan multidisciplinary meetings to determine patient treatments. Her efforts ensure that no stone is left unturned and each visit is coordinated and comprehensive. Her clinical expertise and compassion helps patients keep their lives in order as they travel through the maze of doctor’s appointments, physical therapy, and other treatments. Amy’s role is just another example of how Inova takes patient care Beyond Medicine.  Meet our clinical coordinator, Amy Siegel.

Dr. Wodajo and his team formulated a treatment plan for Dorothy based on their extensive experience with bone tumors and Inova Fairfax Hospital’s access to the most modern technologies available. The treatment would include six chemotherapy treatments and a major operation to remove the tumor.  Her medical care began immediately.

On December 8, 2005, Dr. Wodajo performed the ten hour surgery necessary to remove the remainder of the tumor that was left after chemotherapy. The surgery involved making an incision from her hip to her knee and carefully removing the entire femur bone. After that came the reconstruction. Both the hip and knee were replaced with artificial joints. The two were then connected with interlocking metal segments and the thigh muscles carefully reattached. 

Dorothy’s recovery was coordinated in detail by her surgical team and Inova’s expert physical therapists. Physical rehabilitation was scheduled in a tiered manner. By the end of the first week, Dorothy was able to walk down the hall, and by the time she was released she was already managing stairs. Dorothy’s home care included a physical therapist prescribed by Dr. Wodajo to help ease the transition. Soon, Dorothy was able to complete her remaining rehabilitation through outpatient visits with no additional home care necessary.

Today, Dorothy Bridges can proudly wear heels when she attends church with her family. Even with a total femur replacement, she is able to walk with a barely perceptible limp. Activities she has returned to include ministering at her church, exercising, and spending time with her family. She credits her incredible independence and mobility after her battle with sarcoma to her faith and the expertise of the team at the Inova Fairfax Hospital Musculoskeletal Tumor Program.

For more information about the Inova Fairfax Hospital Musculoskeletal Tumor Program, contact 703-776-2067.