Friends have always thought Peggy Johnson of Plantersville to be a strong, independent woman. In June 2024, she proved them right.

At 78 years old, Peggy still insisted on mowing her 1.5-acre yard in Plantersville.

“I had been mowing, and I went in to change clothes and get ready to go exercise at the Wellness Center,” Peggy said. “When I came back home around 6:30 that night, I went to get the mower out to finish the little bit I had left to mow.”

As she stepped into the shed to retrieve her mower, Peggy tripped and fell. “I fell face first,” she said, “and my hands went out to stop me.”

Alone and in pain, Peggy was somehow able to drag herself out of the shed, crawling on her stomach. “I could move my right arm a little,” she said, “but I couldn’t move my left arm at all.”

The Longest Night

Peggy yelled for help to no avail. “I tried to scoot up the hill on my bottom” to make herself visible, she said. But as night fell, Peggy was left to endure the elements—heat, darkness, mosquitoes, a summer rain shower, excruciating pain and all.

When daylight finally broke, “It was the prettiest sunrise I’d ever seen in my life,” Peggy said. “I saw my neighbor drive by about 6:30 that morning, and I was waving my shoe” to flag her down.

Fortunately, Peggy’s neighbor saw her and came to her rescue. Her neighbor called 911, and a volunteer firefighter stayed with her until an ambulance arrived to transport her to North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo.

An Unbreakable Spirit

X-rays revealed that Peggy had broken both shoulders in the fall. Thankfully, NMMC’s orthopaedic trauma surgeons are always on call. They see patients several ways—through the Emergency Department (like Peggy), by transfer from another hospital or by referral from another physician.

In many cases, they can successfully treat patients without surgery using casts, splints, braces, traction and rehabilitation. In other cases, surgery is necessary because the break is complicated, severe or resistant to healing.

Peggy had one of each—her right shoulder was set to heal on its own, but her left required surgery.

Dr. Jonathan Schneider, an orthopaedic surgeon with NMMC’s Orthopaedic Trauma Clinic, performed shoulder replacement surgery to remove damaged areas of bone and replace them with implants to restore function.

With both arms out of commission, Peggy was completely dependent on others. “There was nothing I could do for myself,” she said. “They had to feed me and everything else. They took good care of me.”

Peggy spent two months in an assisted living facility undergoing intense rehabilitation.

Once home, NMMC’s Home Health team continued her care. Then she transitioned to outpatient rehabilitation, where she kept knocking out goal after goal, including driving again after eight months.

Peggy’s Comeback

Slowly but surely, she began reclaiming her independence.

During her recovery, Peggy was also diagnosed with osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones. Her care team prescribed medication and exercise to help improve bone density and reduce the risk for fracture.

She exercises at home and still mows occasionally because she “kinda missed it.” She even plans to return to the Wellness Center soon.

Her story is a testament to resilience, and our team is proud to have walked this journey alongside her. Peggy didn’t just survive—she thrived.