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For more than two years, the pain in Bruce Pulley’s left hip slowed him down and kept him from doing the things he loved, especially fishing. His BJC Medical Group orthopedic surgeon, Jesse Beard, DO, recommended a hip replacement as treatment to help relieve his pain, but the thought of surgery made Bruce nervous, so he put off scheduling it.

By renewing our driver’s license at the DMV, most of us are aware of the process of registering to become an organ donor should the worst come to pass. But there is another group of organ donors — living donors — who are helping relatives, friends and even strangers by donating a kidney or part of their liver. Living donors who choose to give a kidney — the most commonly donated organ — can live a full life with the remaining kidney.

As annoying — and agonizing — as it can be, pain is a common and important signal from your body. It’s a sign that something needs attention, and, once you’ve given it that attention and the pain lessens, its absence is an indication that you’re healing.