Good Shepherd ‘saved my life’

Two years ago, doctors told Lee Detrick his body was not strong enough for a necessary liver transplant or hip replacement.

Today, Lee feels the best he ever has. He has a new liver, a new hip and “a whole new life.”

‘He’s a fighter’

Lee’s journey started in June 2024.

“I was overdue for hip replacement surgery,” Lee said. “I had a lot of health and weight issues. When we found a doctor that would do the hip replacement, I went through some preliminary testing. That was when they found I had some serious problems.”

Pre-operative bloodwork showed several irregularities, and he quickly ended up in the hospital in intensive care with a diagnosis of hepatic cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease.

“They had to put him in a coma,” said Sharon, Lee’s wife. “He had so many toxins in his body. They could not keep him conscious.”

Through this period, Lee demonstrated his will to fight through adversity.

“They were thinking about trying to take him off intubation at one point, but he ended up pulling out the ventilator tube himself,” Sharon said. “He’s a fighter.”

At that point, Lee was very weak from both the liver and hip problems, having lost muscle tone from spending two months in the hospital bed. In addition, he also had some cognitive challenges coming out of the induced coma.

“They would ask him questions about where he was, the kids’ names or the name of our dog,” Sharon said. “He couldn’t remember anything.”

Lee needed a liver transplant but had to get stronger before he could receive one.

Sharon began researching facilities and found Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in Center Valley.

“I saw that they had doctors there to manage his medications and blood work every day, the physical therapy piece he definitely needed after lying in a hospital bed for two months and the psychological piece that I felt he needed,” Sharon said. “I said to myself, ‘That’s the place he needs to go.’ ”

Good Shepherd was ‘the perfect place’

Lee arrived at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in November 2024, where he received physical, occupational and speech therapy and met with a neuropsychologist while under the care of physiatrists and certified rehabilitation registered nurses (CRRNs).

“They got me physically stronger, and they did wonders with my mind,” Lee said. “I remember thinking I was fine mentally, but after being in the hospital for so long, I couldn’t do simple math when they asked me to balance a checkbook. That scared me because I had worked in finance for 30 years. But they worked with me and that ability came right back.”

The Rehabilitation Hospital team kept Lee on a structured therapy schedule, which both he and Sharon appreciated.

The schedule allowed Sharon the opportunity to attend therapy sessions. She was even allowed to bring their dog, Jack, to visit Lee.

“He just had so much individual attention there from the doctors, nurses and therapists that nothing got missed,” Sharon said. “Everybody was so nice. It was like walking into a different world. It was the perfect place for him.”

Lee went home after three weeks at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital, arriving home around the Thanksgiving holiday.

“They did absolute miracles for me,” Lee said.

‘I could see improvements’

Once Lee returned home, he transitioned to outpatient physical therapy at Good Shepherd’s Macungie location, near their home in Alburtis, to continue building the strength needed to have the liver transplant.

There, Lee had access to a pool, where he could focus on aquatic therapy.

“The pool was really the only thing I could do,” Lee said. “I would be in the pool for an hour two days a week. They would work me out. I was amazed. I could see improvements physically in my body.”

Lee continued physical therapy all the way up until June 2025, when he got the call and received the liver transplant.

“They did amazing work at Good Shepherd, preparing me to have that transplant done,” Lee said.

Lee resumed outpatient physical therapy in the pool as soon as the incisions healed from the transplant to prepare for his hip replacement, which he underwent in November 2025.

Days after his hip replacement, he returned to Good Shepherd in Macungie to resume physical therapy yet again.

“The doctor said the most important thing is to get moving, so I had the surgery on a Thursday and on that Monday, I was back in physical therapy,” Lee said.

As Lee grew stronger, he was able to move out of the pool for some of his exercises as his mobility and strength continued to improve.

“Two years ago, I could barely get around,” Lee said. “My hip was bad. Now I am using a cane and getting back to doing things.”

Making the most of his ‘whole new life’

Since his liver transplant and hip replacement, Lee can return to many of the things he has always enjoyed but could not do because of his health, such as deer hunting or traveling with Sharon.

“This summer, I was able to walk on the beach for the first time in probably four years,” Lee said. “We visited Ohio and toured the prison where they filmed the movie, ‘The Shawshank Redemption.’ I was able to walk around the whole time.”

In addition, he has stopped drinking alcohol and lost 70 pounds in the last two years.

“I feel the best I’ve ever felt in my life,” Lee, 58, said.

Meanwhile, the difference in their quality of life as a couple is “night and day,” Sharon said.

“For a long time, he could not do anything with me,” she said. “I was on my own if there was a family event. It is so great to be able to go places and do things with him and have great conversations with him. He has a great sense of humor now. He makes me laugh every day.”

Lee continues to work out at Good Shepherd’s Macungie location. His goal is to keep getting stronger.

“I want to get to where I could take my dog for a mile walk in the park,” Lee said. “I love going to and visiting new cities and towns and just walking around, but I don’t have the stamina yet.”

Sharon and Lee both said they appreciate the support they have received and continue to receive from Good Shepherd throughout this two-year journey.

“I sing Good Shepherd’s praises to everybody,” Lee said. “Good Shepherd saved my life.”