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Two weddings and a surgery
September 24, 2016 was a day for the books. It’s the day “forever” began for two families: the Yoders and the DeCoonses. In two ceremonies in different parts of the country, two couples pledged their lives to one another.
Brandon Yoder and Dr. Ryan DeCoons first met in June of 2016. Brandon dislocated his kneecap and sheared off a piece of cartilage in the process after injuring his knee in a pickup basketball game. It wasn’t a question of if he would have surgery, but when.
Brandon and his fiancé, Victoria, were nervous because their wedding was just three months away. However, Dr. DeCoons felt confident that Brandon could recover in time for the wedding, and Brandon knew the risks of putting it off for too long, so they decided to move quickly. Brandon had surgery in the Piedmont Surgery Center just a week later. Brandon was in therapy with certified athletic trainer, Bradley Huff, shortly thereafter. His goal was to regain his mobility by September 24th.
“He was so committed to his therapy that he was off his crutches about three weeks after surgery,” Bradley said. When the day finally came, Brandon had the best day of his life, free of his knee pain.
The DeCoonses
Dr. Ryan DeCoons and Dr. Lorie Stumpo DeCoons met in Philadelphia while Ryan was in orthopaedic residency at the University of Pennsylvania and Lorie was in medical school at Drexel University. She was out celebrating with friends after having just taken one of her medical licensing exams, and he happened to be at the same place with mutual friends. They started talking and eventually dating. Two years later, they moved to Miami where she did an internship and he completed his sports medicine fellowship. In July 2013, Lorie was accepted into the radiology program at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, and Ryan accepted a job at Piedmont Orthopaedic Complex in Macon. Later that year, they purchased a home on Lake Oconee because it is located about half-way between Macon and Augusta.
On September 24th, they married just in front of the docks on the lake behind the Great Waters Clubhouse at Reynolds Plantation, a venue they can see from the back porch of their home. The aisle was flanked by pink rose petals and the ceremony was officiated by Dr. John D. Kelly IV, one of Ryan’s mentors during his orthopaedic residency. There were many friends and family (and many doctors) in attendance, who had traveled from across the country to share in their special day.
The Yoders
Brandon and his wife Victoria met at a volleyball tournament in Florida over Christmas in 2013. Both Brandon and Victoria grew up in Mennonite communities, he in Georgia and she in Ohio. They struck up a friendship in Florida that turned into something more and they dated long-distance for more than two years. Their ceremony was held in a church near Victoria’s home with about four hundred of their friends and family. For the reception, her family’s greenhouse was transformed into a dreamy, romantic venue adorned with Chinese lanterns of varying sizes and breathtaking floral arrangements.
About their special day, Victoria said, “I wouldn’t change anything.”
posted 05/01/2017 in Uncategorized
Tags: dr ryan decoons, brandon yoder, wedding, surgery, testimonial, knee surgery, knee pain, knee injury
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