For years, Malone Davidson held on to the hope that she would walk again. That hope began to fade in 2024, more than a decade after a car accident left her with debilitating knee pain and limited mobility. Her condition gradually worsened until she was confined to a wheelchair and unable to sleep through the night. “At that point, I just prayed,” says Davidson, 55, who lives in Vacaville. “It was a desperate prayer.” A dramatic change in mobility At first, Davidson was able to remain active, often walking Vacaville’s scenic Lagoon Valley trails and participating in mission work with her husband. But in 2018, her mobility changed dramatically. After a water aerobics class, she collapsed in the parking lot, unable to walk. Within days, she was using a wheelchair full time, and even basic tasks became a struggle. A ‘desperate prayer’ answered How advanced robotics and compassionate care gave one patient her life back Michael Caravelli, MD “It’s hard to think about anything but the pain,” she says. “People would visit, but when you’re in a wheelchair and hurting, the loneliness sets in.” Her family felt the weight of it too. “I never gave up hope,” her husband says. “But I didn’t know how she was going to get her life back.” Finding help and hope Davidson spent seven years in a wheelchair. Her turning point came when she met Michael Caravelli, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at NorthBay Health who specializes in total joint replacements using advanced robotic technology. Dr. Caravelli introduced Davidson to the Mako SmartRobotics™ system, which uses a CT scan to create a precise 3D model of the joint and guides surgical planning with exact accuracy. “The left kneecap was among the worst Dr. Caravelli had ever seen,” Davidson recalls.
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