As we reflect on the sacrifice of our servicemen and women this Veterans Day, I hope that we will also be challenged to give of ourselves.  By emulating the selfless character they demonstrated in protecting our nation, we truly embrace the sentiment of this special observance.

My father served in five major battles of WWII, and was one of the first men to land on Omaha beach during the Normandy Invasion.  During years of battle far from home and family, my dad experienced what was perhaps one of his greatest challenges:  the passing of his father.  To compound his grief, his military obligations prevented him from attending the funeral. Despite the grueling demands of combat, my dad remained steadfast in his commitment to our country.
 
As I reflect on my dad's life and all the sacrifices of our servicemen and women, I am grateful for the freedoms and privileges of our country, and am saddened that many of the veterans who fought to protect those blessings struggle just to secure basic necessities for themselves.  Let us consider how we can support these unsung heroes, especially in these difficult economic times.

Occasions like Veterans Day cause me to pause, reflect, and thank God for everything I have.  To all those who faithfully served in our military, the employees of Laser Spine Institute salute you.  Our company's commitment to Above and Beyond service was inspired by the kind of sacrifice that we celebrate today.
 

Tuesday, October 20th marked the 5th anniversary of one of the most important days of my life. It was exactly 5 years ago that Dr. Jim St. Louis and his incredible team performed a minimally invasive neck surgery on me that has forever changed my life. I thank God for Dr. St. Louis, Dr. Michael Perry, Dr. Glen Hamburg, Jim Stafford, and my angel, Stacy Danahy. Stacy wiped my nose, rubbed my feet, and at one point, got down and lay on the floor facing up at me to talk me through a terrible claustrophobic moment.  

Five years ago, I was a miserable human being. I had no quality of life. I was in such pain and could not imagine how I was going to make it through the rest of my life. Today, I am pain free and I feel it is my duty to continue to PAY IT FORWARD and tell the world about the great things we do at LSI! Since that fateful day five years ago, we have helped over 12,000 patients "get their lives back." And, thanks to our patients and dedicated staff, we should help 40,000 to 50,000 more over the next five years. We are making a huge difference every day. It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of this great company.
 
So, thank you Dr. St. Louis, Dr. Perry, Dr. Hamburg, Jim Stafford, and Stacy Danahy for changing my life and the lives of 12,000 others. It has been an incredible ride. As Tim McGraw would say, "I can't wait til the next 30 years!"

The events of September 11, 2001 can be accurately described as a senseless tragedy. Undoubtedly, they have altered our way of life and will perhaps be etched in our minds forever. However, our response to this tragedy, like others in our nation's history, demonstrates our resilience and uncompromising ability to triumph over tragedy.  So, today, I urge you to continue to celebrate the lives of the victims who died innocently and remember the bravery of the heroes and heroines who risked or sacrificed their lives in search and rescue efforts following the horrific terrorist attacks. One way in which we can honor these men and women is by supporting the families they have left behind. Several funds have been established, including the Twin Towers Orphan Fund and the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund. To learn about these organizations or to contribute, click on the links below.

Twin Towers Orphan Fund
Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund

A few weeks ago, I shared my unfortunate experience with a driver who was texting while driving. In that post, I also encouraged all my readers to help me spread the word and discourage others from engaging in such a dangerous practice. Since then, I have received many good wishes and kind words. Today, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to each and everyone who has offered support or joined in this effort. One of my employees brought a You-Tube video to my attention, which demonstrates the danger associated with this risky, but increasingly common practice. Please be aware that the content is quite graphic. However, I think that it sends a strong message and will especially resonate with teens. Click here to watch.

According to a recent study conducted by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, texting while driving increases your risk of an accident by more than 23 times! Since these results were publicized, attention to this phenomenon has increased significantly, prompting legislative action and social response. The reported findings resonated with me, since I had recently been a victim of this careless practice.

On May 27th at approximately  6:45am, while on my way to work, I came to a complete stop, observing the red traffic signal. In an instant, I was knocked unconscious for a few seconds and later awoke, experiencing terrible pain and electric shock down my arms.  I had been rear ended by a truck that was pulling a trailer. The driver of the vehicle did not see me because he was texting.  I presumed that he was distracted because he almost ran me off the road a few minutes before the accident.

Through this unfortunate experience, I now have first-hand knowledge of the dangers  involved in texting while driving. As a result of the accident, I have been experiencing neck and arm pain. In addition to the physical impact, I have a badly damaged car that will not be repaired until the end of August, at best,  had to supplement the cost of repairing my vehicle and incur the cost of a rental vehicle after the 30 days covered by insurance.

After this horrible experience, I am championing the cause against this unsafe practice. If you are texting while driving, I urge you to desist immediately, join me in discouraging others from doing so and help raise awareness to the associated danger. Visit our Facebook page, post comments and repost the link to your friends and family. Thanks in advance for your support!

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Recent tragic events have stimulated intense dialogue regarding the use of prescription drugs. Whether you are in the office break room, at the community pool, or in your living room watching CNN or Fox News, this topic seems to seep into the conversation.  Listening to these conversations and observing the media coverage made me reflect on conversations I have had with patients over the years.

I cannot tell you how many times I have asked an LSI patient if they took the prescribed medications after surgery, only to hear them say, "I don't want to take these pain pills because I am afraid I will get hooked on them." While I am certainly not an expert on prescription drug addiction, I strongly believe that using these drugs for the prescribed purpose and adhering to the instructed dosage significantly decreases the likelihood of addiction.
 
Fortunately, due to the minimal invasive nature of LSI's procedures, some patients do not require pain medication, and as such, there is no consequence for failing to take the pain medications.  However, in the event that you are experiencing residual pain from any surgical procedure, there is generally no harm in taking prescribed pain medication, as instructed by your physician.
  
Certainly, the preliminary details surrounding recent events raise additional concerns regarding personal responsibility and professional ethics. In my opinion, individuals cannot renounce personal responsibility, nor can we absolve physicians of professional and ethical responsibility. Therefore, combating this problem requires collective effort.  So, I implore individuals and physicians alike - do the right thing!

In March, I wrote a post, saluting mothers across the world and at that time, I reassured the guys that they would not be forgotten. So, today, I am taking the time to recognize fathers across the world. Being a proud dad, I am always honored and humbled by any display of appreciation by my kids. Lord knows, I try to do the best I can because I think that it's my duty, so to be credited for fulfilling my responsibilities certainly goes far beyond my expectations!  However, I am grateful, and cannot deny that I feel a great sense of accomplishment when my kids tell me that I have done a good job.
 
Isn't it amazing how the dynamics of the relationship between parents and children change over the years? I recall being a child, yearning for my father's favor and beaming with delight at any indication of approval. As a dad, I have come to realize that those roles have reversed, or I should say - reciprocated. I, like other parents, derive satisfaction from my kids' admiration and respect, just as they do from mine. Many of us will agree that one of a child's greatest fears is disappointing their parents, while a parent's greatest fear is disappointing their children.
 
Whether it involves not being able to buy your kid his favorite toy, take him or her to the park, or lift them for a piggyback ride, you know - it cuts like a knife. Patients have expressed that they experienced some of their  lowest moments when their grandchildren would stand before them with their arms outstretched and they couldn't pick them up or play their favorite game, which often involves chasing them around the house - little balls of energy I tell you! At the risk of perpetuating gender stereotypes, I will say that most men seem to take a greater emotional hit when they are unable to fulfill their roles. Guys, you know what I mean. It's that macho in us!

Fortunately for me, I was able to find relief from my excruciating pain. Had I not found Dr. St. Louis, I would never be able to lift my beautiful grandchild or work out with my son. Thankfully, I'm not the only dad who has been able to get back to the things and people I love! Immediately, I think of Brian Casey, Rimoun Goris, Peter Jacobsen, and all the other dads and grandfathers who have been able to experience similar joy.  But, whatever your history, challenges, or triumphs, us dads share a common element- love for our kids. It is this love that binds us together, bridges the gaps between us, and sustains the bond we share. Happy Father's Day!

Over the past few weeks, we have read and heard about two tragic stories - the Air France plane crash on June 1st and more recently, the shooting at the Holocaust museum in Washington, DC. I would like to take this opportunity to express my condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of the passengers and crew on Air France flight 447, as well as those of the victims of the museum shooting incident. Words cannot express or erase the pain and anguish of losing a loved one, but we can all try to help in soothing the grief by providing support to others in their time of bereavement. So, let's join together in solidarity and be our brother's and sister's keepers!

I would like to take this opportunity to recognize all the mothers across the world. They are truly special people and cannot be adequately compensated for the work that they do on a daily basis. Time and time again, women have proven their dynamism, tenacity, and resilience. Today, I am extremely proud to see how they have been able to overcome numerous obstacles and risen to the highest levels. When we look around, we can see that they are often tasked with balancing their professional responsibilities and their never-ending maternal responsibilities. Amazingly, they do a stellar job!

At LSI, I am always amazed to see our mothers demonstrating their versatility. Take the examples of our VP of Human Resources, Maria Martinez and our VP of Compliance Dotty Bollinger. They are both talented, assertive executives, while at the same time, they are nurturing, compassionate mothers. I had a chance to observe this dynamic role firsthand on Bring your Daughters and Sons to Work Day on April 23rd. Among our other dedicated staff members, these professionals demonstrated their work-life balance and proved that they can execute their job functions effectively and contribute sufficient time to their work family, while mastering the skills of motherhood and fulfilling their commitments to their home family.
 
Over the years, we have had the opportunity to observe the impactful role of mothers, not only among our employees, but also among our patient family. LSI has been able to help several mothers to get their lives back. We feel truly privileged to be in a position where we can contribute to improving the quality of life for the core of one of society's most important institutions- the family.  Dads, please don't feel left out, you will be recognized in June!
 
One of the most emotive patient testimonials is from our former patient, Cheryl Harper, in which she discusses the effect of back pain on her ability to function as a mother and how those functions were restored after her LSI experience.  Believe me when I tell you that this is a classic story of agony and victory.  Several mothers and grandmothers have had similar experiences and we are all grateful to Cheryl for being an inspiration to back pain sufferers by sharing her story. Later this month, we will have an educational video, featuring several LSI patients, including Cheryl. As soon as that becomes available, I will share it with you! Until then, an excerpt of Cheryl's story can be seen in our Five Day Process Video. You can watch it by clicking here.

By most standards, 2008 was a challenging year. So many bubbles were burst, and it's hard to say which was the worst. Unemployment rates climbed rapidly as businesses downsized or seized operations. Real estate lost tremendous value and homes were foreclosed at a record pace. Banks failed at alarming rates and Wall Street watched the stock market lose 40% of its value.
 
I read recently that the CEO of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein scolded one of his executives during one of the market's worst weeks. The executive said, "I don't know how much more of this I can take." Blankfein responded, "Let's put this into perspective. You are getting out of a Mercedes, walking into the Federal Reserve to get a bailout. You are not in a Higgins boat landing on Omaha Beach in Normandy." In the midst of this crisis, we're told that it's likely to get worse before it gets better.
 
So, it is natural to wonder where in the world is the good news?

The good news is that we are alive and living in the greatest country in the world. This past weekend, I watched the news as the Israeli army began its ground assault on the Gaza Strip and I thought, oh no, here we go again! Why do they have to do that now? Then I heard reports that Hamas had been launching missile after missile, sometimes as many as 60 per day into Israel.  I thought, what in the world would it be like to live under constant attack? I couldn't fathom being in the midst of such violence and turmoil. At that moment, the fact that we are so lucky to live in this country was reinforced.

Though I know times are really tough, I also know that in order to maintain our sanity, we have to find a silver lining somewhere. So, my suggestion to you is this - if you have your family and your health, you can get through all the rest.  We have demonstrated our resilience time and time again, both individually and collectively and I genuinely believe that we will bounce back, as long as we pay attention to the lessons that we learned from this experience. As we face the current economic crisis and brace ourselves for the future, I also suggest implementing simple things in your lives for relaxation.

For me, music is a source of comfort and offers a break from life's harsh realities. I especially love Joe Cocker's music because it is unique, passionate, and gives me hope that maybe one day, even I could be a musician. One of my favorite songs is "I Can Stand a Little Rain." If you haven't heard it, you can listen to it for free at Rhapsody.com. This particular song will remind you that whenever you think you can't go on, "you've made it before; you can make it some more."

Today, I encourage you, don't give up hope! So many patients have told me that when they heard about LSI, it gave them hope and when they came here for surgery, we gave them their lives back. So, please recognize and cherish the things that you have and keep looking for that silver lining.