For Dale and Karen Boedeker, some of the best parts of living in Sheridan are the beautiful scenery, the welcoming community and, more recently, access to excellent, patient-centered healthcare — right here at home.
The couple first met over 40 years ago while participating in an adult softball league in Jackson, Wyoming — Dale as a coach and Karen as a player on an opposing team. While preparing the fields after a rainstorm, Dale’s University of Notre Dame hat caught the attention of Karen, an Indiana native. After a formal introduction following a game, Dale asked Karen to lunch. The two went on their first date a week later and married less than a year after meeting.
After 18 years in Jackson, Dale accepted a position with Sheridan’s recreation district, bringing the couple to Sheridan. The Boedekers later spent several years in Gillette, but Sheridan eventually started calling them home. When it came time to retire, they knew there was only one place they wanted to settle.
“We’ve been lucky enough to live in two of the most beautiful towns in Wyoming — Jackson and then Sheridan,” said Karen.
In recent months, both Dale and Karen have experienced another benefit of calling Sheridan home: access to the healthcare services they needed without leaving their community.
Years ago, Dale underwent hernia repair in Gillette, but the repair eventually failed. Earlier this year, he noticed several bulges in his abdomen and suspected he had developed another hernia — or two.
After researching local surgeons, Dale scheduled an appointment with Dr. Joshua Scott, a general surgeon at Sheridan Memorial Hospital’s Big Horn Surgical.
It didn’t take long for him to feel confident in his decision.
During Dale’s first appointment, Dr. Scott took the time to explain not only what needed to be repaired, but how he planned to approach the procedure using robotic-assisted surgery. Dale remembered Dr. Scott pulling out a marker and drawing a diagram on the exam table paper to walk him through the procedure.
“He showed me where my hernias were and what would happen during the surgery,” Dale said. “I thought that was a nice thing to do because he explained what he was going to do and how he was going to do it.”
That conversation eased any concerns Dale had about undergoing another surgery.
“After the first meeting with him and how he presented it, it made me feel so much better,” Dale said. “I was very comfortable with what was going on because I knew exactly what he was going to do.”
A week after his initial consultation with Dr. Scott, Dale underwent robotic-assisted repair of both hernias at SMH. He said the surgery went smoothly, and he was equally impressed by the care he received from the surgical team, including nurse Wanda Hanebrink helping him walk to the car while he was still feeling the effects of anesthesia.
“She just came up beside me and held my arm, and we walked out to the car,” he recalled.
His recovery progressed as expected. The first week brought some soreness, but by the second week, Dale said he was already beginning to feel better. At a follow-up appointment, Dr. Scott confirmed his incisions were healing well.
For Dale and Karen, having the entire experience close to home made a difference.
“It was so nice just to have it local,” Karen said. “We didn’t have to travel or spend any time in a motel, and the aftercare was right here. It’s home care at its best.”
While Dale’s recent experience at Sheridan Memorial Hospital centered around surgery, Karen’s healthcare journey has focused on regaining something she once took for granted: walking comfortably.
About four years ago, while the couple was living in Gillette, Karen tore her Achilles tendon. Her recovery was complicated by a severe infection, which ultimately required additional treatment and a skin graft.
Although the injury healed, her ankle never felt the same.
“I was having trouble walking,” Karen said. “And I finally found a good doctor at Primary Care who would listen to me and be sympathetic to what I was having trouble with.”
That provider, Dr. Lisa Mullen, referred Karen to Sheridan Memorial Hospital’s Wyoming Rehab, a decision Karen now describes as “probably the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Physical therapy helped her understand why she continued to struggle years after the initial injury.
“It gave me validation of why I was having such trouble,” she said. “It’s not because I couldn’t do it anymore. It was, ‘You can’t do this because your ankle is way too weak.’”
Karen worked with several members of the Wyoming Rehab team, including physical therapist Lindsay Kinney. Her therapy incorporated manual therapy, resistance exercises and balance work to strengthen her ankle, improve her stability and gradually increase the distance she could comfortably walk — beginning with about half a mile and building from there.
Eventually, she began noticing the difference in everyday life.
While visiting her daughter, Karen started walking up a flight of stairs — something she had previously been unable to do without holding onto the handrail and pulling herself upward.
This time, she didn’t reach for it.
“My daughter said, ‘Mom, look what you’re doing! You’re not using the handrail,’” Karen recalled. “I just realized, this is working.”
Although Karen recently completed physical therapy, she knows she still has work ahead of her. The difference now is that she has the tools — and confidence — to keep progressing on her own.
“They helped me feel more confident in myself by giving me a program that I could move forward with,” she said.
Dale and Karen’s healthcare needs were different, but both said their experiences reinforced the value of having high-quality care available in Sheridan.
Dale knows some patients assume they need to travel to Billings, Rapid City or Denver for surgery. Based on his own experience, he encourages people to consider the care available in their own community.
“I had a great time with my surgery — not a problem,” Dale said. “It’s always nice to support locally.”
Karen feels the same way about Wyoming Rehab, from the therapists who helped her regain strength to the staff members who greeted her at each appointment.
“They were always so friendly, and it was a nice, positive environment,” she said. “Everyone just works at your pace. Hands down, I would recommend them.”
For the Boedekers, receiving care locally meant more than convenience. It meant having providers who listened, explained, encouraged and helped them move forward — all without leaving the community they chose to call home.
Find the care you need — right here at home. Whether you’re considering surgery at Big Horn Surgical or looking to regain strength and mobility at Wyoming Rehab, Sheridan Memorial Hospital is here to help you take the next step. Visit sheridanhospital.org or call 307.672.1000 to learn more.