For years, Maria Diaz, now 64, considered herself unstoppable. A devoted grandmother, and self-described adventurer, she built her retirement around staying active and fit, enjoying travel, and caring for her grandkids.

Her hip pain, however, created a detour that worsened over time — until she was diagnosed with a “bone-on-bone” condition from osteoarthritis that would lead to hip replacement surgery at Baptist Health Orthopedic Care, under the direction of orthopedic surgeon Alexander van der Ven, M.D.

“I realized how much my life had changed slowly, and I was getting accustomed to the limitations,” Ms. Diaz said. “I was finding other things to do because there were things I could no longer do physically.”

After retiring from the Social Security Administration a few years ago following a 36-year career, she immediately boarded a plane with her son for a month-long trip to China — the beginning of a new chapter filled with travel, family, and freedom.

“I’ve always loved traveling,” said Ms. Diaz, mother of one daughter and two sons who helps care for her youngest of four grandchildren. “I just started going to places that I had always dreamed about — going and staying for extended periods of time.”

An Active Retirement Interrupted by Hip Pain

But over time, her hip pain intensified. She first noticed discomfort in her hip years earlier. At first, it seemed manageable. Like many active adults, she adjusted without fully realizing how much her life was slowly shrinking around the pain.

“At some point, degenerative joint disease of the hip starts to affect your quality of life,” explains Dr. van der Ven. “Some of the things that you take for granted become really difficult to do, and those are the moments that typically will bring someone to an orthopedic surgeon to be evaluated."

For nearly a decade, Ms. Diaz continued pushing through the discomfort. “I used to walk five miles every day,” she recalled. “Even when I was working, the first thing I did was go for a five-mile walk.”

But eventually, the pain became impossible to ignore — especially at night. “I couldn’t sleep,” she said. “It was the strangest pain in my back and in the front of my hip. I kept taking (over-the-counter pain reliever) and trying to cope with it that way.”

A Wake-Up Call While Playing with Her Granddaughter

The pain continued to worsen. And as she became more involved caring for her youngest granddaughter, Sophia, the limitations became more obvious. Then came a pivotal moment with Sophia that would lead her to the care of Baptist Health Orthopedic Care.

“One day, I was on the floor playing with my granddaughter, and when I went to get up, I realized I couldn’t get up,” she recounts. “That’s when I realized something was really wrong. And I realized — am I not going to be able to play with my grandkids anymore?”

Eventually, Maria met with Dr. van der Ven, who carefully walked her through her options and listened to what mattered most to her.

“I told Dr. van der Ven, ‘I want to do what I used to do before. I want to go down the slide, keep walking, keep traveling, and continue enjoying life and adventure.’ ”

Ms. Diaz is the type of case that orthopedic surgeons are increasingly seeing — active older adults who want to regain a fully active life in retirement.

“Maria is a perfect example of how we can help people regain their quality of life,” said Dr. van der Ven. “It's really rewarding to have patients like her who have such a good result. And we can help them improve their quality of life."

Preparing for Surgery With Confidence

While the idea of surgery was intimidating, Maria said she immediately felt comfortable with Dr. van der Ven and his team.

“I felt totally comfortable, and I knew that I would be okay,” she said. “Not only had I heard great recommendations, but I truly felt I was in good hands.”

She also learned that her active lifestyle would help her recovery. “One of the things Dr. van der Ven told me is that I was in very good physical shape because I was walking and exercising,” Ms. Diaz said. “He said it’s easier to recover when you stay active.”

Even so, the days leading up to surgery were emotional. “Of course I was nervous,” she admitted. “You start thinking about everything that could happen. But I trusted the doctor and trusted the process.”

What stood out most to her was the level of personal care she received.

“He called me the day before surgery to ask if I had any questions,” Maria said. “The morning of surgery, he explained everything again and made me feel completely comfortable.”

Then came surgery day in January 2026.

A Recovery That Surprised Everyone — Including Maria

Ms. Diaz underwent hip replacement surgery and returned home the very same day.

"I would say Maria had a very routine post-operative course,” said Dr. van der Ven. “We typically do it under spinal anesthesia, and so people come out of surgery feeling quite well. After that, we were able to get her into physical therapy in a short period of time. We sent her home the same day."

By the third day after surgery, she was already beginning to regain confidence in her movements. “I helped myself up from the table and started walking,” she recalled. “I thought: ‘This is not bad. I can do this.’”

Just days later, she attended physical therapy — walker in hand, just in case.

“When I got there, the therapist said, ‘You’re not using your walker,’ ” Ms. Diaz said with a laugh. “She tested me and then said, ‘You don’t need your walker.’ I never used it again.”

Within weeks, Ms. Diaz joined her children and grandchildren on a family trip to Disney World.

“At first, I used a wheelchair,” she said. “But by the third day at Epcot, I told my son, ‘I’m dumping the wheelchair.’ And I walked.”

Back to Traveling, Fitness, and Family Adventures

The progress amazed even her. “I had more pain before the surgery than after,” Ms. Diaz said. “Even by the second day, I was sleeping without taking anything to help me with pain at night.”

Three months later, she was back in the gym, back to traveling, and back to enjoying life with her grandchildren.

“She already started jogging about four months after surgery,” said Dr. van der Ven. “That surprised me a little bit, but we do expect high things out of people who undergo a successful surgery now. 

Encouraging Others Not to Wait

Today, Maria hopes her story encourages others living with chronic hip pain not to give up the activities they love.

“A lot of people are living in pain and limiting their lives,” she said. “They get used to doing less and less when they don’t have to.”

For Maria Diaz, choosing surgery wasn’t about slowing down. It was about reclaiming the life she wanted to continue living.

“I want to keep traveling,” she said. “I want to keep being active. I want to keep being the grandmother who picks them up from school and says, ‘Let’s go get ice cream.’ If I would have known I could feel this good again, I probably would have done it sooner,” she said. “Now, I feel like I’m back to 100%.”