Gale Devisser has always loved creating art and working with her hands.
Whether it’s custom artwork for friends and family members or tending a garden, creating is a big part of her life.
In 2012, Devisser saw a wire tree sculpture at a local art market.
“I really wished I had bought it,” she said. “I decided that I would just learn how to make one for myself.”
After making her first tree, she was hooked. She gave them as gifts to friends and family and even started selling them. At her first local arts festival, she sold out in less than two hours.
Unfortunately, Devisser began experiencing pain in her right hand—pain that limited her ability to create wire tree sculptures.
“The pain in my right thumb just got worse and worse over time,” she said. “My thumb was dropping down and becoming extremely painful.”
Devisser was diagnosed with arthritis at the base of her thumb. Although she knew surgery was inevitable, she held out as long as she could. She got cortisone shots, wore a brace, and modified her movements so she could continue living her life to the fullest.
“I learned to adapt so I could keep moving,” she said. “I still went kayaking, I still painted, drew, and made my wire trees, worked in the garden, and cleaned my house.”
The pain in her right hand continued to worsen, and then her left hand began to hurt. She could no longer ride her bike or go skiing.
“I knew it was time to have the surgery,” she said.
On January 19, 2023, Angela Wang, MD, performed the surgery. Wang is an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in hand, upper extremity, and microvascular surgery in children and adults.
“Gale has a very common condition: arthritis at the base of the thumb,” Wang said. “This type of arthritis typically causes pain when you are trying to pinch or rip or twist, so it pretty much impacts everything.”
The surgery takes less than an hour and is usually done in an outpatient setting. After surgery, patients can immediately start using their fingers, but the thumb is immobilized for at least six weeks. Although Devisser had been prepped on what the healing process would look like, it was a difficult recovery at first.
“There were some trials in the beginning,” she said. “But the second month after the surgery, things started to go a lot better.”
Devisser credits this improvement to a change of attitude on her part.
“I was having a lot of ‘woe is me’ because I live alone and was struggling to manage everything by myself,” she said. “But then I realized I was getting in my own way, and I needed to move forward as best as I could.”
Devisser continued to work hard at physical therapy and was diligent about doing her exercises at home. She also prioritized her mental health throughout her recovery.
Devisser continued to work hard at physical therapy and was diligent about doing her exercises at home. She also prioritized her mental health throughout her recovery.
Not long after surgery, Devisser started thinking about getting back on her bike. She shared this with her cousin, letting him know that she wanted to do all she sooner rather than later.
Shortly after, her cousin made a surprise visit to Devisser, and he didn’t come empty-handed.
“All of a sudden, there’s a knock on my door, and it’s my cousin,” she said. “He brought me a new mountain bike.”
Devisser parked the bike in her front room where she could look at it.
“I knew I would need to be able to flex my hand and fingers to be able to ride it,” she said. “So, seeing it there was motivation for me on the more difficult days.”
Although it took nearly six months for Devisser to get back on her bike, she was able to start doing other things she enjoyed before then.
“I practiced with my paintbrush a lot when I was wearing the wrist brace after surgery,” she said. “I would just use my fingers to hold the brush, and that helped me keep creating while I was healing.”
Now, Devisser is back to doing everything she did before her surgery—including making trees.
“I just love making them and enjoy sharing them with others,” she said. “I even made one for Dr. Wang as a thank you for taking such good care of me.”
Devisser is now preparing herself for a second surgery—this time on her left hand.
“I have the same issue with my left hand, but thankfully I’ve got Dr. Wang to take care of me again,” she said.
