From: Lysanne
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:10:30 -0500
To: Lloyd Hey
Subject: Molly update
Hello Dr. Hey,
How are things in North Carolina? Things are great here and Molly is doing fantastic. She just finished a season on the swim team for Hackett Catholic Central High School in her freshman year. She is amazing....after her 13 level spinal fusion. Wearing the swimsuit bothers her not at all! I even call her "zipperback" for the obvious reason and "Supergirl" because she's made of steel! I've even enclosed some recent pics!
Lysanne
Kalamazoo, Michigan
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Dr. Lloyd Hey
Hey Clinic for Scoliosis and Spine Surgery
Raleigh, NC USA
From: Pat
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2009 17:46:49 -0500
To: Dr. Hey
Subject: my story - hope you get it!
November 2009
Dear Dr. Hey and staff,
It has taken me quite a while to be able to sit down and write my feelings about the miracle that has taken place in my life. The miracle, of course, is the back surgery that you were able to perform on my 56 year old back.
As long as I can remember I had always known that I had scoliosis. But I always had known it was something I should not discuss or complain about. And so I never once said one word about it to my family and if someone ever brought it up it was immediately dismissed. It was a sort of secret.
I suppose the thought of surgery was just too much to bare for my parents. Back in the days when I was diagnosed, the surgery was relatively new and I would have to be in a body caste for a year. And so, my life went on ignoring the issue. Unfortunately, it trained me well to deny and ignore many things in my life as I am now discovering. Although, I have been very happy in my adult years, marriage and a successful career, there was something always nagging at me. My confidence and self esteem were always a struggle but I managed to overcome those and other obstacles despite my inadequacies.
And then, I discovered that my faith in God was also inadequate. I began going back to my church and reading the bible. I began to feel stronger and more confident. And then one day I said to myself, “I am going to confront my fears and get to the core of my problems.” which I knew was my back. As I was aging I was noticing my body changing, my clothes were fitting strangely and I was thinking that my ribs were closing in on my pelvis. I was beginning to get scared. I mustered up the courage and opened discussions about all of this with my husband and we began researching scoliosis and researching our options. We started with our primary doctor who referred us to a doctor at a major teaching hospital. Our visit with him was quite discouraging and we walked away realizing he did not want to do surgery on me. He suggested physical therapy. Then we went to another well known hospital and we basically got the same diagnosis. By now, we were discouraged and more frightened for my future having learned a lot more about the complications that could happen later on in life.
One day I was on the internet and I came across your website and read about your story. I realized then that God had guided me to your site and a peace had come over me. I was finally on the right track! I gathered up my MRI and x-rays and filled out the forms and before I knew it, we were talking on the phone discussing my situation. At that point I felt HOPE, something that was foreign to me. God was guiding me along and I was going for the ride. I really didn’t have much apprehension, because I knew it in my heart it was right.
Even though the surgeries were tough and the recovery tougher, I am emotionally stronger, taller and happier than ever.
How can I thank you for what you have done for, not only, me but for my whole family? Because of this surgery we have all become closer and more honest with each other. The truth does set one free. The whole dynamics of our family has changed and it is all because of your ability to help people like me.
I only hope that I was able to express my gratitude in a way that tells how I feel. I thank God every day that I had this chance to renew my life.
And so, this is my story, my testimony, my personal miracle.
God bless you,
Pat
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Pat -
Life is definitely a journey.
Facing and working through challenges can be the catalyst for not just physical, emotional, career, and/or relationship changes, but transformations of heart.
Thanks for sharing your heart with us at Hey Clinic, and with our many blog readers with your permission.
You have encouraged all of us.
Lloyd A. Hey MD MS
Hey Clinic for Scoliosis and Spine Surgery
Raleigh, NC USA
http://www.heyclinic.com
------ Forwarded Message
From: Michelle
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2009 23:15:44 -0500
To: Lloyd Hey
Subject: THANK YOU!
Dear Lloyd,
Words cannot express how grateful I am for your professional and personal care toward my dad today. My dad is quite a character (which you will experience over the next few days) and has a heart that is tender and deeper than most men I know. It has pained me throughout the months to see him suffer and to watch his level of activity decline so rapidly. Thank you for spending time with us in clinic last week and for working him into your schedule so quickly.
It has been a pleasure to learn more about you through your website and blog and to see how God has used your accident at 16 years old, your incredibly gifted intellect, and your heart for people to give you this wonderful spine surgery ministry. May God continue to bless you, your family, and your practice.
Thanks again!
Blessings,
Michelle
2 or 3 weeks ago, I got an email from “Dr. T”, a physician from Tokyo, Japan that I had fixed his lumbar spine back at Duke Medical Center several years ago. He did great for many years, playing tennis, etc, but over past few months had developed severe clumsiness in both legs, to the point where he was having trouble walking.
A couple weeks ago, after getting up extra early at 4 am, I sipped on cup of coffee, and was answering some patient emails, before going off to exercise. While I was sitting there, up popped email from “Dr. T” -- outlining his progressive troubles. He was surprised that I emailed him right back at 4am! He then emailed me the MRI images that allowed me to see the problem, with two areas of tight pressure / stenosis on thoracic spinal cord above his previous lumbar fusion, which could explain his progressive myelopathy.
I offered to send him the special wrenches that he would need to have surgeons in Tokyo fix it there, or set him up to have surgery with one of my SRS colleagues in San Francisco, where his daughter Dr. “Chika” lives, but he chose “Choice C: Come to Raleigh and have Dr. Hey Fix it.”
Our Hey Clinic team got to work right away to make necessary arrangements.
We even coordinated his return travel to San Franciso to recover at Chika’s home to coincide with the beginning of the North American Spine Society (NASS) meeting, so that my OR nurse Kelly could actually be on same airplane as Dr. T to help with transportation before we knew that Chika could get the time off from work to come out for his surgery, and travel back with him.
When I saw him in clinic last week, it was great to see him again, but his gait was quite bad with severe clumsiness.
His surgery late last week went great, and his walking is already much stronger and more stable.
Today, Chika and Dr. T gave me a couple of generous presents, and we took our picture together with my iPhone before they headed off for the airport at RDU (15-20 minutes away).
Get well soon Dr. T, and keep in touch. Chika: good to see you again, and stay in touch.
Kelly: thanks for being willing to accompany them on the trip out, and enjoy the NASS meeting with Brittany!
Dr. Lloyd Hey
Hey Clinic for Scoliosis and Spine Surgery
http://www.heyclinic.com
First thing this morning, I met with 14 yo Ann and her parents in the preop area at Duke Raleigh Hospital.
Ann had a severe adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).
Ann introduced me to her new little bear, wearing a Duke Raleigh Hospital blue sweater.
She told me that she named her new bear "Lloyd", after me! How cool is that? I felt really special that she would choose to name her bear after me, even using my first name rather than the more formal bear name, "Dr. Hey". Teddy bears I think prefer to be less formal, more personal I guess.
I then asked her this morning: "How straight do you want to be?"
Her answer: "As straight as possible!"
We shook on it, and I promised to get her as straight as I could! She smiled.
After sharing a short (optional!) prayer together, I could see that her dad had a tear in his eye. I shook his hand, and let him know that I would take excellent care of his daughter. With a teenage daughter of my own, I could definitely put myself in his shoes. This is intense stuff. Really important stuff.
As I walked out of preop, and up to round on my patients upstairs, I took a moment to reflect on the way in which I get to connect with my patients and their families each day in such an intense way, discussing big surgeries, getting ready for big surgeries, and seeing love at work between parents and children, spouses, brothers and sisters, and good friends. This is an intense life, sometimes stressful life, but it is very, very real, and very powerful, and very moving. I'm so thankful to have opportunity to serve in this way, and to be involved in this web of relationships that really matter every day.
Her surgery went great, with an awesome correction, very little blood loss, and about 3 hour surgical time.
I used a couple new techniques that I have been perfecting for better screw placement and better correction using some special "pursuader" techniques with simultaneous rod insertion and derotation. These new techniques are really bringing some better corrections. Very Cool. I love to learn and innovate and improve these techniques.
After surgery, I came out to see Ann's mom and dad, and both sets of her grandparents were there as well.
I held up the X-rays shown below, with the before and after so that mom and dad could see them.
I could actually see both of their faces through the X-ray, and I could see that they both began to weep.
Weeping not for concern for their daughter going into surgery, but weeping for joy and relief.
Tears of loving concern.
Tears of joy and relief.
This evening, after my second surgery, I went up and saw Ann and her mom in her room. She's doing great, and gave me a HUGE smile, knowing that her wish had indeed come true: she was indeed "as straight as possible."
Her bear, "Lloyd", was next to her, wearing a surgical mask, and keeping a close eye on her recovery.
Dr. Lloyd Hey
Hey Clinic for Scoliosis and Spine Surgery
http://www.heyclinic.com
Check out Scoliosis Research Society (SRS.org) website.
