Before undergoing knee replacement surgery, 56-year-old Joyce found the pain of arthritis unbearable. "It was a crippling pain, a hurting pain where I'd have to stop walking," she said. But now, six weeks after a less invasive knee replacement surgery, Joyce is able to participate in the activities she enjoys, including riding up to two miles on a stationary bicycle. "Now the pain is a healing pain," she said. "It's different because before, it only got worse. Now it only gets better."

Recently, Joyce was even able to take her parents for a visit to the beach. "I feel so blessed," she said. "Just at a time when my parents are getting up in age and really need me, I'll be pain-free and able to take care of them."