It took more than five years to wait. Enough time for the pain to stop being just a nuisance and become part of the routine. Walking, leaving the house, going for a walk or even playing with grandchildren became increasingly difficult activities for Roseli Tavares de Araújo, from Içara, and Judite Tiscoski, from Criciúma. Like them, hundreds of people are waiting for surgery capable of restoring autonomy and quality of life. This Friday, the 3rd, their wait came to an end. They are among the first patients treated by the highly complex orthopedic surgeries carried out at Hospital São José, in partnership with the Santa Catarina State Department of Health and with technical support from Levve Ortopedia. Over the next few months, the initiative will expand access to hip and knee arthroplasties through the Unified Health System (SUS), benefiting patients who live with intense pain and physical limitations on a daily basis. "My God, I said: now go." The reaction was immediate when the message arrived from Hospital São José calling for an appointment with the orthopedist. After more than five years of waiting, Roseli Tavares de Araújo, resident of Içara, is now making plans to put her cane aside. "I hope to put the cane down. It bothers me a lot", he adds. The joy is also shared by Judite Tiscoski, from Criciúma, who had been waiting for the procedure for almost six years. "When the news came via WhatsApp, I was very happy. Now I will be able to live with less pain, have a freer life, go for walks, go out and play with my grandchildren. The wait was long, but the time for surgery has arrived," he says. Roseli and Judite's stories are repeated among many patients waiting for hip or knee arthroplasty. With joint wear, simple tasks begin to require effort, pain limits independence and many stop working, reduce social interaction or start to depend on the help of family members for daily activities. Surgeries reduce the queue and transform stories. Disclosure/HSJ Mutirão brings new possibilities The collective effort plans to carry out 360 highly complex surgeries by December, including 180 hip arthroplasties and 180 knee arthroplasties. This first weekend, 30 procedures will be carried out. The schedule was organized into two weekends per month: one dedicated to knee surgeries and the other to hip surgeries. The teams will work from Friday to Sunday, with the capacity to perform up to ten surgeries per day. Levve Ortopedia is responsible for the technical organization of the joint effort, providing the specialized medical team, structuring the surgical flow and care protocols to ensure safety and quality during all procedures. One of the Levve Ortopedia doctors participating in the task force, Dr. Mário César Búrigo Filho, explains that the work was planned to expand access to highly complex surgeries without compromising the quality of care. "Our expectation is to provide a better quality of life for patients and contribute to reducing the waiting list at the State Department of Health. This is a great team effort, which brings together professionals specialized in knee and hip surgeries to offer safe and excellent care", he praises. Specialized service to reduce the waiting list Disclosure/HSJ The executive director of Hospital São José, Juliano Petters, highlights that many patients had been waiting for years for the opportunity to undergo surgery. "These are patients who have been waiting in line for a long time and who will now have access to a procedure capable of changing their routine. We are very happy to be able to provide a better quality of life for those who have waited so many years for this moment", he guarantees. The joint effort is part of the State Department of Health's strategy to expand the supply of highly complex elective surgeries in Santa Catarina through partnerships with philanthropic hospitals. "We are advancing in carrying out highly complex elective surgeries through partnerships with hospitals that have the technical capacity and structure to meet this demand. Hospital São José is an example of this joint work, which reduces waiting times and brings more dignity to people waiting for these surgeries", points out the Secretary of State for Health, Diogo Demarchi. Until December, hundreds of patients will pass through the corridors of Hospital São José in search of surgery. Each of them carries a different story, marked by years of waiting, pain and limitations. In common, they all share the desire to walk again without pain, regain independence and resume activities that, for many, were left behind for years. Visit the Hospital São José website and discover other stories that inspire hope.