Helen Sheehan and Dr. Otfried Niedermaier: 

Giving from the heart

This story originally appeared in the Fall 2023 edition of Promise magazine.

When Helen Sheehan had her knee successfully replaced in 2019, it was a truly positive experience from the first step forward. Helen said she would do it all over again. To show their appreciation, she and her husband, Dr. Otfried Niedermaier, made a gift in support of the Summa Health Orthopedic Institute to establish a lectureship series and honor Helen’s surgeon, Dr. Kiel Pfefferle, who specializes in orthopedic reconstructive surgery.

“There was such precision of care, such a generous spirit, and we wanted to recognize that,” said Helen. “We live in Shaker Heights. I could have had my surgery 10 minutes down the road instead of driving an hour each way. We had a choice, and we chose Summa Health and Dr. Pfefferle.”

Four years later, Helen returned to Summa Health for a second knee replacement, also performed by Dr. Pfefferle, at the new state-of-the-art Summa Health Joint Replacement Center of Excellence on the Summa Health System – Barberton Campus. Helen described the experience as “holistic, peaceful and calm” in a spa-like setting.

In further testimony to their appreciation, the couple recently made an additional gift in support of orthopedics. Helen and Dr. Niedermaier, a Summa Health cardiologist, also have faithfully supported the Summa Health Cardiovascular Fellowship Program for many years, helping to train the next generation of cardiologists.

While Helen counts herself as a grateful patient, she and Dr. Niedermaier desire to make a direct impact on the community by supporting Summa Health and helping to provide high-quality, accessible care for all – regardless of one’s ability to pay.

“Whether it’s orthopedics or cardiology, Otfried and I act with an intention so that we can make an impact to repair and heal the world around us by sharing what we have with others,” she said. “It’s important to us that we participate with our time, talent and treasure. By giving to Summa Health, we are touching other people’s lives so that the whole community benefits.”

For more information about supporting the Summa Health Orthopedic Institute and Summa Health Heart and Vascular Institute, contact Summa Foundation at 330.375.3159 or foundation@summahealth.org.