Katheleen Demas is no stranger to recovering from back surgery. In fact, if you ask her, she’ll tell you she’s become entirely too familiar. After each procedure, Kathleen worked hard to regain her strength and manage her pain. However, her most recent surgery — her fifth overall and third in just over a year — proved to be the most challenging yet.
For many years, David Chavez struggled with back pain. Seven years following an initial surgery, doctors presented David with the option of another procedure. This surgery, though major, offered the potential to decrease his pain by 75% while also giving him a high probability of walking without an assistive device. David couldn’t refuse such impressive odds and decided to proceed.
Keaton Baker left Iowa to work on trail maintenance in Yosemite National Park. “On the weekends, though you’re still in the wild, you can do pretty much whatever you find pleasing.” On one of those weekends, Keaton was having some fun rock hopping. When he stepped out of the river and onto the shore, a rattlesnake was sitting in the shade, likely asleep. Disturbed by Keaton’s sudden appearance, the rattlesnake bit Keaton on the foot.
One hot summer day, Veronica Cabrera and her children visited her parent’s home to gather and beat the heat. She intended to relax in the pool, but after a short 30 minutes, an overwhelmingly uneasy feeling came over her.
William Frye is an independent and active man living on a few acres above Tollhouse, CA. One cold winter day, William went out to chop wood to warm his home, as he often did. But, unfortunately, William’s day wound up anything but typical.
Just after New Year’s, Amber began to fall ill. She was experiencing cold-like symptoms and a fast-approaching loss of breath. With her lips a shade of blue and blood in her cough, Amber’s family feared for her life and pleaded with her to go to the hospital. It took several days and tons of encouragement, but Amber finally agreed to go. Once there, she was quickly admitted and intubated in the blink of an eye.
That day began like a typical weekday for Derek Powers. He began his day by enjoying his morning coffee, then jumped on his Harley and hit the road to help a buddy with his tow truck company. Unfortunately, Derek never made it to his destination.
Greg Tanner works as the clinical director at a local substance abuse facility. For some time, Greg has experienced sciatic nerve pain in one of his legs. The pain progressively got worse and eventually affected both legs. Chalking it up to “wear-and-tear,” Greg assumed it would resolve itself with time and rest.
But Greg was mistaken.
Andi Hostetter and her husband are adventurers, enjoying traveling and camping whenever possible. But during a recent trip to Tahoe, their adventures nearly became a thing of the past.
One day, Brian felt something he described as “a bolt of electricity” accompanied by significant pain. Several tests revealed that Brian had a partial tear in his aortic lining and would need surgery immediately. The surgery was a success, but unfortunately, between the surgery’s conclusion and finding consciousness, he suffered a stroke.
