Editor's note: Jerry Robinson wrote the following column before Paul Tucker, CEO and administrator of Highline Medical Center, announced his retirement last week.

Our recent experience with Elsbeth's hip replacement surgery at Highline Medical Center prompts me to be a little bit serious instead of the usual whimsy and nonsense I generally offer up here to lighten your day.

Elsbeth has now come through some scary moments in the last six weeks.

When she came home after surgery and rehab, we rigged up a bed for her in the living room and I became her primary care giver. Some care giver. Three days later she caught pneumonia.

So we rushed her to emergency with a temperature of103 and two weeks later I took her back home again.

With delight, I can now report she is once again on the road to full recovery. Though it is not back to normalcy in our house. She still spends much of her time in repose while the healing process continues.

But she now eats what I prepare for her breakfast in bed. Not fancy but her choice. A bottle of Boost, a slice of toast with peanut butter and jam, a small chunk of banana and some slices of fresh peaches. Once in a while, part of an apple fritter from the bakery. Plus a half-cup of coffee.

She still walks haltingly with a walker or cane but seems to have less pain and more interest in exercise each day.

She can now go shopping with me, and we often eat lunch out. My cooking at night, if some neighbor or friend does not provide a casserole or an invite, is still something I can do like open a Puppy Bag with half her lunch, which I eat.

She rarely eats any dinner and I don't debate or cajole. She has her own reasons. It will be perhaps a year for full recovery so we can adjust to that.

But all through this I have marveled at how lucky we are to have a modern medical complex like we have here. At a driving distance without traffic hassles not over 10 or 15 minutes for most of you readers.

My first medical problem was a sledding accident where I ended up in the West Seattle hospital located upstairs in a building at the Alaska Junction.

Now patients from Alki Point to Redondo have one of the most modern and capable facilities anywhere in the nation right here at Highline Medical Center.

It is led by the remarkable Paul Tucker, administrator (for 28 years), and his assistant Carol Hallen (for 31 years) and the talented and genial Mark Benedum, chief operating officer.

I have found from experience this is truly a place that cares about the community and its patients.

I know I am going to leave some names out that I noted on the badges of staff and from many of the 300 smiling volunteers, but we want to thank the following staff members for their kindness:

Jason, Dolly, Olga, Debbie, Michelle, Kathy, Kalikow, Ruth, Bony, Sharon, Carla (in ER), Donald, Beverly and Terry Hill.