West Virginia University President Gordon Gee is at home recuperating from his left hip replacement surgery that took place Dec. 12 at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown.
“The surgery went very well and I have been recuperating well, mostly at home, but with a few excursions here and there,” Gee said in a statement to The Dominion Post provided by the university. “I have been blessed to have received great care from the team at WVU Medicine and am looking forward to a more consistent schedule in the new year.”
Gee, 75, who dealt with worsening back pain for a number of years, said previously a recent diagnosis showed a deteriorating hip joint that needed to be replaced sooner rather than later.
Because of the surgery, Gee had to miss the Dec. 21 commencement, the first time he missed a commencement during the last 40 years. Despite not being there in person, Gee addressed graduates by video.
“Mountaineer determination will guide you. The skills and strengths you honed here will advance you, and the goodwill of 200,000 other West Virginia University graduates will sustain you,” Gee said in his message.
It usually takes three to six weeks to recover from hip replacement surgery.
