The holiday season is a marathon, not a sprint, and for Mrs. Claus, every step counts. From wrapping presents to helping Santa check his list twice, she’s always on the move. But last Christmas, a painful grinding in her knees made every festive task feel like a monumental chore. The diagnosis was clear: after years of spreading cheer, Mrs. Claus was in dire need of two new knees.
While she’s known globally as the first lady of Christmas, in Little Ferry, New Jersey, she’s Helen Vopasek. And she was not about to let knee pain sideline her from the most wonderful time of the year.
Helen has always been a whirlwind of activity. When she’s not assisting her husband Frank (aka Santa Claus), she’s an active member of her church and a women’s a cappella group. But about a year ago, simple tasks like climbing stairs became daunting. X-rays revealed she had bone-on-bone pain in both knees.
The choice of where to turn for help was easy. The Vopasek family has deep roots with Hackensack Meridian Health. Frank, in his day job, is the chief engineer at the energy center for Palisades Medical Center. Plus, both her husband and son were born at Hackensack University Medical Center. “We’ve always trusted Hackensack Meridian Health,” Helen said. “It was a no-brainer that I would turn to them for my knees.”
At the convenient From Road location in Paramus, Helen met with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ari Seidenstein, who devised the perfect pre-holiday plan: two partial robotic knee replacements. The first was scheduled for February 2025, the second for July, 2025, ensuring Mrs. Claus would be fully mobile for the festive season.
The surgeries were performed in the state-of-the-art Helena Theurer Pavilion at Hackensack University Medical Center. “I can’t say enough amazing things about the entire team, their care, their dedication, and the beauty of the facility itself,” she praised.
Robotic Surgery = Increased Precision
Thanks to the minimally invasive robotic procedure, Helen was up and walking on the same day as her surgery. This state-of-the-art technology allows for a high level of precision. Think of it like the difference between using a very fine-tipped pen and a thick marker. Like the fine-tipped pen, the robot allows us to be extremely exact. This means less impact on the surrounding muscles and ligaments, helping you heal faster and experience less pain afterward.
Knee replacement is one of the most successful and common procedures in medicine. In the United States, approximately 1 million knee replacements are performed each year. While hundreds of thousands of people undergo the procedure, a significant number of individuals who are candidates, as many as 39%, according to one study, choose to delay it out of fear.
“Living with chronic knee pain is not a life sentence, but many people endure it for far too long out of fear or uncertainty,” explained Dr. Seidenstein. “With today’s advanced options, from minimally invasive techniques to robotic-assisted procedures, we can offer personalized solutions that are more precise and allow for a quicker return to an active life. My message is simple: don’t let pain dictate your life. There is no reason to wait and miss out on the activities you love when we have the tools to help you get back to them.”
Helen admits recovery took effort, but the results, she said, were magical. “I couldn’t believe the difference in getting around,” she exclaimed. Her physical rehabilitation at Hackensack Meridian Rehabilitation in Maywood further solidified her recovery, thanks to a team committed to ensuring Mrs. Claus and her knees would embody the spirit of Christmas this year.