Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/838170
L ast December, three months after the arrival of board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Brennen Smith to CHI St. Joseph's Health Orthopedics & Spine Surgery Center, 67-year-old salesman Brad Akre became the first patient to undergo a spinal fusion at the hospital. Early in December, Brad, who had been living with debilitating back pain for 20 years, had to be taken by ambulance to CHI St. Joseph's Health. "The pain had become so bad I couldn't get out of my chair," Brad says. Once at CHI St. Joseph's Health, Brad underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test that revealed he had several severe spine conditions, including lumbar stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal; spondylolisthesis, shifting of the vertebrae; and foraminal stenosis, narrowing of the cervical disc space in the spinal canal. Shortly after his MRI, Brad met Dr. Smith. "Dr. Smith went over the MRI results with me and said I needed to have some work done—and pretty quickly," Brad says. HOPE ON THE HORIZON After decades of battling terrible pain, Brad was finally close to relief. Over the past 20 years, Brad had consulted with multiple spine surgeons at various hospitals across the country—including the renowned Mayo Clinic—and tried every type of nonsurgical treatment, from medication management to physical therapy. Unfortunately, all conservative treatments failed. What's more, Brad's case was so severe and complex, most of the surgeons he consulted did not want to operate. "Brad needed a multiple-level surgery—specifically, a four-level lumbar spinal fusion," Dr. Smith says. "Many surgeons aren't comfortable with doing that many." "Dr. Brennen Smith is the real hero in all this—he was absolutely amazing. After so many years of terrible pain, I am finally able to get back to living the life I love." —BRAD AKRE, CHI ST. JOSEPH'S HEALTH SPINE SURGERY PATIENT Spine Surgery— A Patient's Story When you need spine surgery, it's important to know a trusted, highly trained team has your back. CHI St. Joseph's Health | www.CHISJH.org 6