It is amazing how fast a year goes by. This time last year, Laser Spine Institute made a medical donation to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund to assist NFL legends without disability coverage, pension benefits or financial means to afford individualized care. Supported by more than 150 retired NFL players and coaches, Gridiron Greats is a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance and social services to retired NFL players with dire needs.

Last Friday before the Super Bowl in Miami, Gridiron Greats held a Night of Champions dinner and recognized many organizations involved with the fund. Dr. Michael Perry and I were pleased to receive the honor of Medical Partner of the Year on behalf of Laser Spine Institute.  As a young boy, I dreamt of being an NFL football star like Johnny Unitas, Raymond Barry or Bart Starr. We were grateful for the award but the best part of the night was being surrounded by the retired players and coaches like Mike Ditka, Mark Clayton, Tony Dorsett, Eric Dickerson and Carl Eller, all of whom I admire.

It is no surprise that these former players, coaches and organizations support the fund because no one ever thought NFL legends would suffer as they have from the game they love. It is unbelievable that former professional athletes don't have the medical support they need after long successful careers in the NFL. Many of us at LSI share the love of the game and decided to donate our time, talents and resources to get these heroes their lives back.

Over the past year, we have helped retired players such as Jim Marshall from the Minnesota Vikings and Edwin Beckman from the Kansas City Chiefs. Mr. Marshall told us, "I feel better than I have the past 20 years" after his procedure. When speaking with Ed Beckman, he said, "When I was younger I could deal better with the pain, but as you age the body deteriorates.  The pain worsened each year after I retired from the NFL.  It got to where my legs would get numb and I would start falling down." After attending one of our seminars, we pointed him to the Gridiron Greats. Ed underwent a cervical and lumbar procedure at LSI and feels great. Thanks to our surgeons who help others get their lives back every day.

Recently, I had the pleasure of participating in the Clay Walker Band against MS Charity Golf Tournament at the beautiful Pebble Beach Resort in California. After he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1996, multi-platinum recording artist, Clay Walker, established the Band against MS, a not-for-profit public charity to assist persons living with the disease. Guided by a firm determination to overcome obstacles, Clay has fought the disease, while building an incredible career and raising money for this worthy cause. To find out more about Clay Walker's band against MS and the MS Charity Golf Tournament, go to http://www.bandagainstms.org/.

I was invited to participate in this event by Chris Sullivan, founder and chairman of the board of Outback Steakhouse. Chris is truly one of the most charitable persons on this earth. Even though I am certain that he wouldn't want me to mention the fact that Chris donated $3 million of his personal funds to the Flight 93 Memorial Fund. Chris contribution goes beyond financial donations and investment of personal time. His dedication to the community at large, unwavering loyalty to friends, employees and partners has consistently benefited numerous individuals from all walks of life. Chris's exemplary character has definitely influenced others to walk the walk.

Speaking of walking the walk, I could not complete this post without commending another outstanding individual. You have probably seen him on Comedy Central and laughed hysterically at his candid humor, so Jeff Foxworthy is no stranger to the public.  However, what the general public may not know is that he is an extremely kind and giving individual. Jeff performed at the awards banquet for Bands against MS, donating his time to this worthy cause.
 
During the event, Clay Walker relayed the events that led to Jeff's performance, which I will share. Over ten years ago, his band performed at a Jeff Foxworthy cause. At that time, Jeff told Clay, "If you ever need anything, call me." However, this was before Jeff became the mega star that he is today. So, during the planning phase of this most recent event, Clay was reluctant to call on Jeff, but when you know people who are affected with MS, you will be relentless in your efforts to help.

To Clay's amazement, when he called, Jeff did not hesitate to say yes! I wanted to mention this because in this era of greed, profits and celebrity worship, bad behavior seems to be amplified and even glorified, while good deeds are often overlooked. I think this is an uplifting story and I hope you will help to spread the word about Jeff Foxworthy - the good guy.
 
Overall, the event was a huge success. Thanks to Clay Walker, Chris Sullivan, Jeff Foxworthy and the Pebble Beach company. I would also like to thank my golf partners, 1985 Indianapolis 500 Champion Danny Sullivan and the funniest good golfer I have ever played with, Davis Sezna, for suffering through watching me play golf for three days.

On a more serious note, I learned that Clay Walker's MS is in remission. He is a lucky guy. Others are not so lucky. Clay believes he contracted MS through a spinal cord injury he sustained while performing live in the Canadian Rockies. While talking to him at the event, he informed me that he believes MS is brought on by a virus that affects the neurological system.
 
As you may know, I have a passion for helping people with spinal conditions, so this caught my attention and I hope to offer support to Clay and his fight against this disease that burdens so many persons. I am sure that many of us have heard the saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Individuals like Clay Walker have demonstrated that this is not just a cliché; rather, it is an attainable ideal, one to which I hope that we will all strive.

Since opening our doors in 2005, Laser Spine institute has made significant strides. Our innovative approach to minimally invasive spine surgery and our commitment to providing outstanding service have built our rock solid reputation.  Understanding the vital role that these elements play, we continually strive to improve these areas; in essence, enhancing the total LSI patient experience.  During this year, many of our ideas were translated into action. I will share with you a number of significant events for LSI in 2008. Over the course of this past year, we embarked upon an "expand and improve" project in four main areas, namely, personnel, facility, technology, and service.

Personnel - important company-wide investments to better serve our growing patient family.
-    National search for 5 new surgeons
-    Increased medical leadership (PAs, RNs, NPs, CRNAs)
-    World class anesthesia team
-    Further education for team members to enhance patient service

Facility - expanded to better serve patients.
-    Tampa, FL Surgery Center - expansion and  improvement project
-    New imaging center with the addition of higher quality imaging equipment
-    Addition of 3,000 sq. ft. luxury patient and family lounge area
-    2 Operating rooms and 6 Clinic exam Rooms
-    Scottsdale, AZ Surgery Center- Debut of 35k sq. ft. state of the art, patient-centric western U.S. spine surgery center, bringing LSI to our west coast patient family
 
Technology - improved process and flow to boost operations efficiency.
-    Communication system upgrade
-    Operating and exam room video equipment
-    Electronic Medical Records system

Service in the Community - LSI expanded its horizons, taking service beyond our immediate patient family.

LSI Blog -The advent of the Internet has presented endless possibilities for communication. So, I figured that it would be a great idea to utilize this resource by creating a blog to connect with current, former and prospective patients.
 
Gridiron Greats - LSI made $1m donation in medical services to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, the largest donation to the non-profit organization.

In earlier posts, I spoke about Charlotte's battle with breast cancer. So, in honor of Charlotte and all the other women fighting this dreadful disease, LSI supported several events and activities in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
 
-    Several LSI Tampa employees and their family members participated in the Race for the Cure at Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg, Florida. This event raised over $1 million in the Florida Suncoast area.

-    LSI Breast Cancer Awareness Day was observed on October 25th. In support of this worthy cause, Tampa, San Diego, and Scottsdale medical staff wore pink scrubs, while administrative staff wore LSI Breast Cancer Awareness 2008 t-shirts and bracelets. LSI employees donated over $2000 to the Susan G. Komen Fund, in aid of breast cancer research.

-    LSI sponsored several employees to participate in the Susan G. Komen 3-day walk in Tampa from October 31st to November 1st, contributing a total of over $7,000 toward the $4.5 million total raised for breast cancer.

Now that we have looked back at the past, we must look toward the future. Let me take this opportunity to wish everyone in the blogosphere a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Join me in 2009 for more exciting news and messages!

I am sure that many of you remember the opening remarks by Jim McKay, the great sportscaster, introducing the legendary weekend show "The Wild World of Sports." This was exactly how I felt last week when Dr. St. Louis and I stood before the legends of the NFL, proudly announcing our gift of $1 million dollars to Mike Ditka's Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, a fund to help former players with dire needs. Later this week, I will be be posting video clips of our announcement at the press conference. 

As a young boy, I dreamt of being an NFL football star. On any given Saturday morning, in a big open field next to my childhood home, I fantasized about being Johnny Unitas throwing to Raymond Barry or Bart Starr to Max McGhee. I played from sunrise to sunset. One of my fondest memories as a young boy was when we wanted to play a night game. My dad actually placed one car at each end of the field and created the first neighborhood night game. Kids and parents from blocks away came to participate in the sandlot game. At the end of the night, we had two dead car batteries, but enough joy in the kids' hearts to light up the entire west side of Jacksonville. That night, these 8 year old boys had the thrill of victory imagining themselves as NFL superstars.

Back then, no one could ever imagine the agony of defeat. No one knew the toll the game was taking on these heroes. And certainly, we would never believe the game would turn its back on the men that turned the NFL into a multi-billion dollar industry. How could so many give so much and now get so little? Everyone I have talked to believes this is a disgrace.

That is why we have decided to give our time, talents and resources to help these guys get their lives back. I feel thankful that Dr. St. Louis gave me my life back and always feel the need to pay it forward. With 22 of the best doctors in the world, it is not a great sacrifice for us to help 2 or 3 former NFL players "get their lives back" every month.

Once again, I can dream about the NFL. But, this time I dream of seeing broken down players walk without pain, pick up a grandchild, and have hope. It feels good to me. It feels good to our team. It's our Super Bowl and we are already winning the biggest game in life. I know my dad would be proud.