HOUSTON – Caryn Honig loves to run. So much so, she is close to having completed nearly 50 marathons.
“There is something about running, the endorphins, and the way makes you feel...And so when doctors all over the country told me, you know, you shouldn’t run again, I was really sad and devastated,” she told Houston Life.
Honig needed a knee replacement and the doctors she spoke with all said it would mean the end of running.
A young junior tennis player growing up, Honig started traveling the country on the junior circuit when she was only 13 years old. Going from city to city and playing in national tournaments, Honig discovered running helped her cope with the pressures of competition. “Running became a coping mechanism...Once college was over, I stopped playing tennis and became 100% a marathon runner,” she said.
Determined to find a doctor who could help. Honig’s research led her to Dr. Richard Berger, an orthopedic surgeon based in Chicago. “He pinky promised me that I would run again,” she said.
Now, Honig is back to running marathons and is gearing up to run Boston Marathon for the fifth time.
“I went into Richmond Marathon in Richmond, Virginia this past November to qualify for Boston. And lo and behold, I’m doing Boston again,” she said.
Dr. Berger, who uses minimally invasive surgery and performs gender specific hip and knee replacements, told Houston Life, “I knew that I could make her better, as I do with most of my patients, to get back to what they were doing before. Now, some patients want to run a marathon and they’ve never run a marathon, that’s a little harder. But with Karen, she’s already been a runner. All she needed was a good knee and I know I can do that for my patients.”
An MIT graduate, Doctor Berger drew upon his engineering background to design gender specific implants and pioneer the minimally invasive hip and knee replacement procedure he used when performed surgery on Honig.
“You know, it’s amazing that two thirds of knee replacements are in women, and most knee replacements are designed by men for men,” said Dr. Berger who made it a mission to design a knee replacement implant that is anatomically better suited to a women.
“I ran my first 5K about three to four months after my surgery. I’ve run two full marathons since my full knee replacement. I have one more Boston in me. It’s a little bit hard to qualify. You have to do a certain time. I have a physical therapist. I have a running coach, I have a personal trainer, and the team of us got me to qualify.”
...And, Doctor Berger’s knee. “Oh, my gosh, that was the key!” Honig laughed.
Traveling from Houston to Chicago was made easy for Honig through Dr. Berger’s BEST program.
“The BEST program stands for BERGER, ELECTIVE, SURGERY, and TELEMEDICINE,” explained Dr. Berger. The program is designed so initial appointments can happen virtually on a computer. “Two of the patients I just did today were in that program,” said Dr. Berger.
These patients had only virtual appointments leading up to their surgery. “...We met them the day of surgery, and they’re going to go back home in a day or two. They have outpatient surgery, they’re going to go back home,” said Dr. Berger.
The idea is to make hip and knee replacement surgery accessible. Dr. Berger has patients who travel from all over the world.
“I’m trying to make it easy for our patients, not just to recover, with minimally invasive surgery done as an outpatient...but to have the entire process be as easy as possible,” he told Houston Life.
“It is just like you’re with the PA, or Dr. Berger, or the nurse,” said Honig of the telemedicine component.
In 2022, Honig’s father died by suicide. She said it was the lowest point of her life.
“After my dad’s suicide, it was the running community, and my husband and daughters, that really brought me back to life and created a purpose for me,” she said.
Honig started Poppy’s Run for Life to help with suicide prevention and awareness. Feeling a connection with Dr. Berger she reached out to see if he would sponsor the annual run.
“I got a call within ten minutes, and they said, Dr. Berger will sponsor your run...it makes me cry. What a what a man. What a heart he has,” said Honig.
Dr. Berger said he did not hesitate to support Poppy’s Run for Life. “Suicide is just obviously terrible but since the pandemic, it’s gotten worse and anyone who is willing to go out and do something, I really want to support that.”
Now a movement has begun.
“Our meaning and our purpose became Poppy’s Run for Life and being able to run again made that possible,” Honig said.
On Sunday, May 17 the second annual Poppy’s Run for Life will happen in Houston at Hennessy Park, 1900 Lyons Avenue. Register online HERE.
For appointments with Dr. Richard Berger or to learn more about the BEST program call 312.432.2557 or head online. CLICK HERE.
Watch Caryn Honig’s story in the video above.