And it shows.

At age 30, Austin looks like he’s in the physical prime of his life. He feels that way too. Still, as good as he feels today is as bad as it was eight years ago, when he was 22 and barely able to walk.

Austin was always an active person. He was a college cheerleader at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve. He had also taken up powerlifting, to keep up his physical fitness. One day in 2017 — during a powerlifting competition — he walked up to the barbell, intending to deadlift it.

He dug his heels into the ground, took a deep breath and hinged at the hips, pulling the bar up. However, at the apex of his motion, he stood up too tall, too quickly.

“Whenever I stood up and I overcorrected like that, I knew it,” Austin said. “It all hit me, and I knew something wasn’t right.”

Austin herniated a disc in his lower back, but he wasn’t sure how badly he was injured until the next day, when he started experiencing both bowel and bladder incontinence at work. He went straight to the hospital, where he needed an emergency discectomy.

“There was a lot of pain and a lot of restricted movement,” Austin said. “The doctors removed the disc. They didn’t do a fusion or anything, so I ended up bone-on-bone with my vertebrae. Whenever I was sitting down, getting up, it was catching and causing a lot of pain. I couldn’t really do anything.”

But Austin experienced more than just constant pain.

He got an infection in his spine. He couldn’t move his left leg, and he developed a tremor in his left hand. He spent time in an inpatient rehabilitation facility to clear the infection and learn how to walk again.

“I couldn’t run, couldn’t lift, couldn’t play with my kids,” Austin said. “I was restricted from what I could do.”

‘That’s how I knew I was back’

Austin’s road to true recovery hit another roadblock in 2023.

His pain was come-and-go, and one afternoon he thought he’d get on the trampoline and jump around with his kids. He felt a twinge in his back. He reaggravated his injury.

“It was just one of those things,” he said. “I felt that pain and knew I still wasn’t really right.”

He finally came in contact with Mitchell J. Campbell, M.D., spine surgeon at Norton Leatherman Spine, who talked to Austin about his options. Other doctors had suggested a typical spinal fusion, but Dr. Campbell had other ideas. Austin was still young, and his bones and joints were still in good shape. Dr. Campbell recommended an artificial disc replacement at the lowest two vertebrae of the lumbar spine. The surgery would remove the worn-out disc in Austin’s lower back and replace it with an artificial one, made of a combination of metal and plastic.

“A fusion is analogous to taking a wheel off an 18-wheeler,” Dr. Campbell said. “Something picks up the load. In this case, it’s the other 17 wheels. But with a disc replacement, we’ve now replaced the wheel, keeping the car intact. Now, the spine is going to continue to move as it should, so the wear and tear, or the next-level degenerating, has just been diminished.”

Austin agreed, and in September 2023, Dr. Campbell performed the surgery.

“There was a lot of nervousness,” Austin said. “[Dr. Campbell] explained the risks, and hearing them aloud made me nervous. But he triple-checked and made sure I was OK with them, which helped calm me down and give me the confidence to get through it.”

‘The right operation the right way’

“If you pick the right person and do the right operation the right way, [an artificial disc replacement] is life changing,” Dr. Campbell said. “We have a lot of boxes to check before I say, ‘yes, you’re the right person.’ They have to have good bone quality and fail about a year of conservative treatment. Surgery is one of those bridges that once you cross, you can’t go back. So, we make sure we do our due diligence.”

The first few weeks after surgery were rough.

Austin experienced frequent muscle spasms. He was living with restrictions — no bending, twisting or arching his back. The pain was still there, but he believed he’d turn the corner.

Eventually, the pain subsided, and he was finally able to do things he hadn’t done in years.

“My mom saw me get down and play with my kids on the floor for the first time in a long time,” Austin said. “It [was] everything to me. I hadn’t played with my kids in a long time like that. I couldn’t play tag with them. I couldn’t run and jump and do all those things with them. Being able to go out and chase them around on the playground and play soccer with them and coach my son’s T-ball team. That’s how I knew I was back.”

‘I’m grateful for where I’m at now’

Austin’s recovery has gone so well, he decided to push himself even further. He began to run after surgery and stopped lifting as heavily as he used to. His body responded well. What were once long walks became runs. And as his body continued to respond, he continued to increase his distance.

So much so, that in July 2024 — just 10 months after his surgery with Dr. Campbell — Austin completed the Run Under the Stars, a 12-hour ultramarathon, where runners complete as many miles as possible in a 12-hour span. Austin finished 44 miles, an incredible feat for someone who, a few years prior, thought he may never walk again.

Yet he wasn’t finished.

Austin’s body has continued to respond, and he’s continued to push himself. He’s now training for November’s Fall Creek 100, a 100-mile event in Tennessee. It’s the last step to prove to himself that he’s fully back to the way he used to be before his injury.

“I’m grateful for my kids and everything that I have now,” Austin said. “So while I don’t give it too much thought, life could’ve looked significantly different. It’s peaceful for me, and it’s good to know I can do it.”

“You take someone who can’t walk, or has bad spinal narrowing, and you bring them back to somewhat normalcy, and it’s a feeling that’s hard to describe,” Dr. Campbell said. “Someone with chronic pain, people who say to themselves, ‘I can’t live like this,’ that’s what we do this for.”

The post Months after artificial disc surgery, Kentucky man completes ultramarathon appeared first on Norton Healthcare.

Grabbing onto the cold steel can bring a rush of adrenaline, the secret stuff she needs to get over the edge during a grueling day of training. It can bring a sudden wave of anxiety, the weightlifter’s ever-present thought that she has plateaued. But the bar also can deliver a flood of memories, things Amber has overcome — personally and professionally — on her journey to become a six-time Kentucky state weightlifting record holder.

“I’ve had a traveling husband; I’m also a mom of four,” Amber said. “And [my time in the gym] was the time of the day I could take out for me. And there are things I learned about myself I didn’t know I was capable of. I worked through injury. I worked through being home with my kids. I worked through a lot of hardships. I lived in a dark place about myself for a really long time. Sometimes I would have the bar in hands and I’d just cry.”

‘I learned a lot about myself’

It can be heavy.

Not just the weights on the bar, which Amber will eventually grab, thrust and lift above her head. Not just the pressures of life, which can build up over time. But physically, Amber was not at her best either.

“I used to weigh over 400 pounds, and I still — to this day — sometimes feel like I weigh over 400 pounds,” she said. “It’s been a hard road. I learned a lot about myself.”

Her weight, and the chronic back pain it caused, was the driving force behind her introduction to fitness coach Gary Esparza. She came to his CrossFit gym in 2016, looking for a way out of that back pain and into a better, healthier way of life. Instantly, their partnership blossomed way beyond expectations, as Amber shed the weight and packed on the power.

“I saw some promise in her movement patterns, and I thought to myself that I could get her into weightlifting,” Gary said.

Amber transformed quickly. She became an employee at the gym, as a way to fund her workouts. Speaking of, she took to the exercises Gary prescribed and began increasing how much she could lift. In 2022, she took another step, and began competing in Olympic-style weightlifting through USA Weightlifting. Four years in, she’s earned two bronze medals at national competitions and set six Kentucky state records. In 2023, she set the record in three categories – the snatch, clean and jerk, and total — in the 35 to 39 age bracket. In 2024, she set records in the same three categories in the 40 to 44 age bracket.

“Making it to nationals was wild,” Amber said. “I never thought I’d be at a national competition, let alone competing at all.”

‘What I celebrate with her …’

“The numbers she hits, I don’t necessarily celebrate too much,” Gary said. “What I celebrate with her is when I see her get out of her head and look at present-day Amber and not past Amber. That’s what gets me hyped up. The numbers are an expectation, like ‘Sis, you’re going to hit these numbers.’ And she does. But what gets me is seeing her truly become her best self.”

But through success, Amber was dealing with a major issue. Her wrist was in pain.

It had nagged her for years, dating back to her teenage days as a cheerleader. The pain worsened as she lifted heavier weight. Then one day, during the jerk movement of the clean and jerk lift, she “caught it wrong.” From there, she dealt with constant pain, adapting her training schedule and regimen to keep the pressure off her wrist as best she could.

“I would compete through the pain,” Amber said. “We would stop doing anything that would aggravate it, which was a lot. Then once we’d get close to competition time, it was just like ‘OK, you’ve got to do it in pain.’ And that’s what I would do. And then finally it got to a point where it hurt to touch a barbell. I couldn’t open a jar. I couldn’t touch a bar. It broke my heart.”

The pain became unbearable in 2024, after nationals.

After several doctor visits and unsuccessful injections, in summer 2024 she was introduced to Luke P. Robinson, M.D., orthopedic hand surgeon at Norton Arm & Hand Institute. Dr. Robinson diagnosed Amber with a torn scapholunate, the ligament in the wrist that connects the scaphoid and lunate bones, essential for stability and movement. It was the same injury Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow experienced in 2023.

Amber and Dr. Robinson talked about her options. They tried injections. But when those didn’t take, the pair decided Amber needed arthroscopic surgery to repair her wrist. It was a tough decision, because the 2025 national competition was just months away. Amber knew she wanted to compete and needed Dr. Robinson to fix her in time.

“Right off the bat, she was like, ‘My wrist hurts, and my problem is I want to be on the podium and right now I can’t be there,’” Dr. Robinson said. “That was her goal. She was trying to be a state champ and trying to compete nationally and internationally. Her goals are different from almost anyone else I take care of. So we had to act fast.”

‘That’s what it’s all about’

Dr. Robinson performed successful surgery Sept. 3, 2024.

Amber started occupational therapy immediately and went back to her training regimen, modified to prevent any strain or movement on her wrist. Six weeks later, with Dr. Robinson’s OK, Amber was back with a barbell in her hand preparing for April’s national competition. Training gained steam quickly, and she built up enough strength to make it to nationals this past spring.

While she didn’t make the podium, Amber had a successful competition. She qualified for the 2025 World Championships, scheduled in December. She also broke her own state records from 2024. Overall, it was an encouraging performance for someone who, just a few months ago, didn’t know what her weightlifting future would look like.

“While I was injured, I didn’t know if I was ever going to be able to compete again,” Amber said. “After the surgery, everything just felt so locked up. I just didn’t know if I was going to get the range of motion I needed back. And there were tears. There were definitely tears. There were definitely times of [telling myself], ‘I’m not going to be able to do this.’ But it’s amazing how much support I had through the process.”

This summer, Amber and Gary are back in the gym, working toward December. The wrist is feeling better than it has in months, though she does check back in periodically with Dr. Robinson. But the results have shown themselves. Numbers she could only clear during competitions, she now is routinely hitting during training sessions.

Her goals are more within her grasp than ever before, thanks to hard work and a surgeon focused on getting her grip back.

“It was cool that when I saw Dr. Robinson [for the first time], he knew what I was talking about,” Amber said. “At my old orthopedist, he didn’t know what I do. But Dr. Robinson walked in and said, ‘My team says you lift and do clean and jerks and snatches. That’s really cool. So, what do we need?’ So, it was cool to have that relationship from the beginning.”

“That’s what it’s all about,” Dr. Robinson said. “It’s wonderful being able to see someone who comes to you and says, ‘Hey, I need some help,’ and you can give them the help they’re looking for and ultimately, the result they’re aiming for. And it’s great when you have a patient who’s motivated and dedicated, and I don’t think anything is going to stop her from getting where she wants to go. I’m glad to be a part of that and help get her to the level she’s looking for.”

The post Wrist surgery helps record-holding weightlifter regain her grip and her strength appeared first on Norton Healthcare.

“We’ve got the map of [the] U.S., and we’ve probably got 50% of it done,” Charlie said. “We have it in our bedroom as a reminder of all the places we’ve been together, and the places we still have yet to visit.”

Their traveling traditions started decades ago. Charlie spent more than 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, serving at air bases not just across the country, but also in Okinawa, Japan, and in Iceland. When Charlie retired in 1993, he and Debbie set out to accomplish their goal of visiting all 50 states.

With about 30 crossed off the list, the couple set their sights on South Dakota: the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. The iconic American landmark carved into the Black Hills is something Charlie always dreamed of visiting. But the retired airman’s chance to see the granite sculpture had one major hurdle to clear.

Charlie started having back pain years ago. It slowly — but surely — limited him. By the time summer 2024 rolled around, it was unbearable.

“[I was] on a walker, guaranteed, and not walking very much at all,” Charlie said. “I probably could do enough steps to walk to get something to eat and go back to the chair or lie down. That’s it. Flat on my back is where I lived.”

It took a toll on Debbie too, who assumed the role of full-time caregiver. She tended to Charlie during his bad days — helping him get up and get around the house, all the while keeping track of his pain medication schedule.

“Any time you watch a loved one degenerate, it’s painful,” she said. “You watch it, and you try to be their cheerleader, and you try to say, ‘This too shall pass.’ But it is very difficult. And it was difficult for me to not get depressed as well. But I just kept trying to say, ‘We’re going to get through this. We just have to keep trying.’” 

‘Fix it at all costs’

Charlie’s pain worsened to the point of no return. He knew he needed a permanent fix.

In fall 2024, he visited Charles H. Crawford III, M.D., orthopedic spine surgeon with Norton Leatherman Spine.

Dr. Crawford diagnosed Charlie with several issues. Most notably, he had degenerative scoliosis and spinal arthritis, also known as spondylosis. He also was experiencing multilevel stenosis, or narrowing of the space between the vertebrae. The nerves near the bottom of Charlie’s spinal cord were being compressed, causing pain, numbness and difficulty walking. Lastly, Charlie was diagnosed with thoracic myelopathy, or compression of the spinal cord in the thoracic (mid-back) part of the spine.

In short, Charlie needed help — fast. Dr. Crawford recommended surgery.

“Charlie and his wife are such incredibly kind people,” Dr. Crawford said. “He had a really debilitating issue that was progressively getting worse. And I knew it would require a big surgery to help him. And these bigger, more complex surgeries require a big team — before, during and after. So we wanted to make sure we crossed the t’s and dotted the i’s and got him ready for surgery.”

“When I heard what I needed, I said to Dr. Crawford, ‘If you can fix it, fix it at all costs,’” Charlie said. “I was just at that point.”

In November 2024, Dr. Crawford performed a successful two-day, two-part spinal fusion, correcting Charlie’s scoliosis, decompressing his spine and relieving his excruciating pain.

“We removed some of the lamina bone, the back of the spine, that was pinching the nerves,” Dr. Crawford said. “We also removed parts of some discs. From there, we began rebuilding the spine. It’s like a building that’s collapsing. We need to rebuild and realign the structure. So, we used screws and rods to straighten the spine and hold it in its normal, anatomical position. That way, when Charlie — or any other patient — stands up, his spine is no longer collapsing and putting pressure on the nerves, but it stays in its good position.”

‘It gave us our life back’

Charlie progressed quickly. After a few months with a walker, some medication for residual pain and a few restrictions, he was back on two feet for good.

“I’ll tell you, I couldn’t really walk,” Charlie said. “Before surgery, I needed a walker to get around; I was bent over. I just couldn’t do it. And after surgery, I got rid of my walker very quickly and started getting back to my life.”

Now it was time to pull out that U.S. map and reset their sights on their destination — Mount Rushmore. The Hinckleys rebooked their trip, and in May 2025 finally got to cross South Dakota off their list.

“At Mount Rushmore, they’ve got 422 stairs on the Presidential Trail,” Charlie said. “That stopped me in my tracks, and I was like, ‘Might as well see if I can do it.’ And we had already decided that if I couldn’t do it, [we would] turn around and walk back the way we came. I ended up doing it, feeling great about the whole thing — and that’s when I decided surgery was over. Mentally, I had cleared the hurdle.”

Now, almost 60 days since their trip, Charlie’s back continues to respond well. He and Debbie continue to be active. The two walk roughly 10,000 steps a day and already have the next trip planned. They both know their travels, for a while, seemed like they’d be stopped in their tracks. But thanks to the right surgeon and the right procedure, their future is brighter than ever.

“The way I describe it is that it gave us our life back,” Charlie said. “I was extremely depressed, and at one point I came to the conclusion that even if something bad happened to me, I’d prefer to be with the Lord than the way that I was going with my back. And I have told many, many people, if they’re going to have back surgery, they need to go to this man.”

“It’s one of the best parts of my job, seeing our patients after surgery and seeing how much their function improves, their quality of life improves,” Dr. Crawford said. “We try to quantify these things, but sometimes just seeing the smile and getting the hug from the patient is worth more than anything.”

The post Months after two-day spine surgery, Air Force veteran visits Mount Rushmore appeared first on Norton Healthcare.

For many, it’s almost mindless, a small break from the stress of their day-to-day lives.

But for David Todd, simply placing one foot correctly in front of the other is stressful.

“I can’t do things now that I used to in the past,” David said. “My endurance … I get tired easier than normal people. I get brain fatigue. Sometimes, it’s not that my body’s tired; it’s that my brain wants to shut down and recalibrate.”

Two days a week, David puts his brain and his balance to the test in the Norton Mobility Lab, using advanced technology and tools to regain his abilities. On this particular Tuesday, David is using the Gait Real-time Analysis Interactive Lab (GRAIL). It’s a multisensory system built for people with impaired walking.

He’s strapped in a harness, walking on a treadmill, looking at and responding to the virtual scenarios projected on the screen in front of him.

This has been David’s reality for nearly three years. Slowly but surely, he’s improving.

“I feel good [now],” David said. “We talk about neuroplasticity [the ability of the brain to reprogram itself after injury], and it’s true. You don’t see it now, but somewhere down the road, the switch is going to flip and then everything for the most part will be gone and you’re doing things now that you did before. You have to be patient and you have to keep working on it.”

‘My life had changed forever’

David’s life changed forever on July 3, 2022.

It was 2:45 a.m., unusually late for the self-described early bird. He and his wife were watching a movie on the couch. He began to feel weird.

David — who has Type 1 diabetes — thought this strange feeling was simply his blood sugar getting low. He asked his wife for his glucometer. She placed it in his right hand. He dropped it. Again, same result. Then a third time. Then David’s wife noticed he didn’t sound like himself. She told him he was slurring his words.

Worried, he stood up and walked clumsily to the bathroom, needing the wall for support. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw the droop in his face.

He knew what was happening.

“I knew it; I knew a stroke was occurring,” David said. “But how bad it was, I did not know. And I knew — on my way to the hospital — that my life had changed forever and there was nothing I could do. And that was stressful.”

David’s went directly to Norton Brownsboro Hospital, a Comprehensive Stroke Center certified by DNV. When he arrived in the emergency department, the only word he could say was “stroke.” It had been 40 minutes since his symptoms started.

David spent five days in intensive care, receiving blood-thinning medication to help treat his condition.

From there, he was discharged to begin the rehabilitation process.

‘This equipment is so vital’

David started at Norton Neuroscience Institute Cressman Neurological Rehabilitation, where the team provided outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy three days a week. Eventually, he transitioned to Norton Specialty Rehabilitation Center – St. Matthews.

That’s where David was introduced to the Norton Mobility Lab and Robert Beury, M.Ed., a rehabilitation activity-based technician. Robert became David’s de facto personal trainer, working with his physical therapists to individually craft David’s therapy program and get his gait and balance back.

“I start very conservatively when we do our first bit of training,” Robert said. “And I have various speeds that I can put [David] at, the velocities of the interactions, and I keep track of how those change over time. As we kept going, we began to see the old numbers we were using weren’t challenging enough, and he was interacting more. Then he started to walk. And in time, we got to a point where we were doing all we could do.”

The two have been working together for roughly a year, using the GRAIL’s 10 motion-capture cameras to analyze and interact with specialized software. David was able to walk, reach, turn, balance and test his muscles with unique movements — all processes that can be difficult for stroke patients.

“It’s so daunting to get to a point where you are post-stroke, but the body begins to heal itself almost immediately,” Robert said. “So what it really needs is interaction. And that’s why I think this equipment is so vital, because it is interactive activity.”

The Norton Mobility Lab is the only facility in Kentucky with GRAIL gait analysis, allowing David and Robert a personalized approach to rehab. The dual-belt treadmill and virtual-reality environments allowed them to measure and analyze David’s walking pattern and target ways to improve it.

A Comprehensive Stroke Center

Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That means there are more than 795,000 strokes each year in the U.S.

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability, and it’s estimated one person dies from a stroke every three minutes. But, advancements in medical treatment and increased awareness have improved both the survival rate and quality of life for survivors.

Stroke can affect almost anyone, so it’s important for people to take steps to reduce their risk, such as maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, not smoking, and managing stress.

Norton Brownsboro Hospital offers extensive, comprehensive stroke care: It’s prepared around the clock to deliver lifesaving and brain-saving stroke treatment by restoring blood flow to the brain when seconds count.

The symptoms of stroke can be easiest to remember through the acronym BE FAST^*. They are:

• Balance — loss of balance, coordination or dizziness
• Eyes — having trouble seeing or change in vision in one or both eyes
• Face — uneven smile or face looks uneven, droopy or is numb
• Arms — one arm drops when raising both arms; numbness or weakness in one arm
• Speech — trouble speaking; slurred or difficult speech
• Time — Note the time when symptoms start: Time lost equals brain lost.
  
  *Adapted from Intermountain Healthcare. BE FAST was developed by Intermountain Healthcare, as an adaptation of the FAST model implemented by the American Stroke Association. Reproduced with permission from Intermountain Healthcare. Copyright 2011, Intermountain Healthcare.

What happens after a stroke?

A stroke typically happens suddenly, with no gradual progression.

That said, many patients will recover quickly and fully from a stroke. Some may have post-stroke conditions such as difficulty swallowing, weakness and paralysis, incontinence, difficulty speaking or understanding, emotional challenges, or poor attention span.

If a stroke happens on the right side of the brain, there may be left-side weakness, impulsiveness, overconfidence in abilities and vision issues to deal with. A stroke on the left side of the brain can be associated with weakness on the right side of the body, along with difficulty speaking, reading, writing or understanding language, and cautious behavior.

Norton Neuroscience Institute Resource Centers offer a number of services to patients recovering from strokes, including support groups, exercise classes, art and music therapy, and more. The effects of a stroke also can impact someone’s mental health. Changes and stress that come with caring for a stroke survivor can put caregivers and family members at risk for depression and anxiety.

“It’s important to remember stroke is a brain injury, and patients need a lot of reinforcement and repetition,” said Rosa Hart, BSN, R.N., SCRN, patient navigator with Norton Neuroscience Institute Resource Center. “So I’ll talk to patients and their families a lot about how to avoid stroke at home. And they may have received all of that information in the hospital, but they probably only remember a little piece of it. So knowing they have a human they can ask questions to when they don’t even know for sure what to do, helps them know they’re not left out on their own with no one to call.”

Rehabilitation services at Norton Healthcare offer specialized outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy at locations downtown, on the Norton Brownsboro Hospital campus and on the Norton Healthcare – St. Matthews campus. These programs offer access to some of the most advanced technology and specialized services in one location to help with gait, balance, strength, flexibility, speech, fine motor skills, swallowing, driving, cognition, vision and more.

“Stroke symptoms may be reversed, but a lot of the time patients need that rehab after the fact,” Rosa said. “That could be in a facility for a while, until they get strong enough to go home. But we’ve learned, with neuroplasticity, the healing process can go on for years. So going to outpatient offices, giving access to physical, occupational and speech therapies to help people get back to their natural functioning, is really pivotal.”

‘Be positive all the way’

Nearly three years since his stroke, David continues outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy, showing steady progress despite small, periodic setbacks.

He’s returned to his career at the Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Protection District, though he has shifted into an administrative role. He’s also slowly returned to his favorite hobbies, with a few adjustments. Cooking sessions are now completed under the watchful eye of his wife as sous chef. Hiking and backpacking are done with more caution, and the 5K races are run with an eye on finishing, not on time and speed.

Through it all, he’s thankful for the team that cared for him three years ago and continues that care today.

“We try something new every day,” David said. “We cook dinner more together and we do things differently. We have family help, so that’s important. But I have had a great team here. They’ve pushed me in ways that have helped make progress every step of the way. I tell people all the time, be positive all the way and keep going. Don’t stop.”

For more on David’s recovery journey, watch this video interview with David and Rosa.

The post Three years after stroke, Louisville man credits rehab team and tools in journey back to full health appeared first on Norton Healthcare.

Cassandra and Carlton Moore prepared to welcome their third child in late August. This was another milestone in their love story that started when the two first met at Noe Middle School in Louisville. They have been together for nearly 30 years. Having had two babies already, they thought they knew what to expect as they headed for the hospital for a planned cesarean section.

Everything was going as just as planned, until it wasn’t. Baby girl Indigo arrived, and Carlton took a quick peek. When he looked toward Cassandra, he saw she was no longer awake.

Monitors started beeping, and the staff began working together to save Cassandra’s life, doing chest compressions to try to resuscitate her. Teams from throughout the hospital poured in, delivering blood and medications and assisting in any way possible.

Cassandra had experienced an amniotic fluid embolism, where amniotic fluid enters the bloodstream. The cause is not known, but it’s extremely serious and life-threatening. It can happen without warning, and very few people survive.

“An amniotic fluid embolism is not a common event, but when it happens, it’s devastating and it’s hard for everyone,” said Maria R. Schweichler, M.D., an OB/GYN with Norton Women’s Care who is Cassandra’s obstetrician. “We knew instantly what had happened and began chest compressions.”

After 20 minutes, Cassandra’s heart started again, and she was transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) — where her heart stopped again. This time the team worked again to revive her. The team at Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital did not give up. Cassandra also experienced a stroke, and her heart was beginning to fail.

“You can’t wrap your mind around the situation,” Carlton said. “Thinking what could happen but not wanting to …”

“We kept chest compressions going until we were able to get enough blood and platelets in her that she had a pulse,” Dr. Schweichler said. “We just all took turns and rotated. Everyone was amazing.

“Everyone said, ‘She’s healthy; she’s young. We can save her.’ And that’s how everybody felt. So we just kept doing it.”

After 40 minutes, Cassandra’s heart started again.

The advanced heart failure team from Norton Heart & Vascular Institute arrived to help the Norton Healthcare Adult Transport Team take Cassandra to Norton Audubon Hospital. There, she was placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a machine that takes over for the heart and lungs and allows the body to heal. She also needed dialysis to help her kidneys regain function.

Cassandra’s condition was grave.

“It is hard to describe how sick she was,” said Maroun M. Ghossein, M.D., a pulmonary critical care physician with Norton Pulmonary Specialists. “I think it’s best to describe it on a scale of 1 to 10, and she was well off the scale.”

“She was definitely the sickest person in Louisville that day,” said Bassel Alkhalil, M.D., cardiologist with the Norton Heart & Vascular Institute Advanced Heart Failure & Recovery Program. “We were really worried that she would not be herself if and when she woke up.”

Over the next three weeks, Dr. Schweichler and others from the team at Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital continued to visit and provide support and encouragement. The Norton Audubon Hospital ICU team went above and beyond, learning how to help Cassandra. Carlton knew that Cassandra, who is both an occupational therapist and a lactation consultant, wanted to be able to breastfeed their daughter.

“We had nurses who had never had a child before, and they’re [saying], ‘Show me what I’m doing,” said Sandy Corbin, R.N., a registered nurse in the Norton Audubon Hospital ICU. “We had communication with Norton Women & Children’s Hospital lactation consultants. We learned how to help Cassandra pump. We helped with skin-to-skin contact, even when Cassandra was still on ECMO.

“When I saw Cassandra move her hand, gently cupping Indigo’s head, I knew she was there,” Sandy said.

After a few weeks, Cassandra regained consciousness. At first, she began moving and opening her eyes. Then she began focusing and looking around.

“Just all of a sudden the light turned on and, you could see her personality starting to come back,” Dr. Alkhalil said.

“When we were able to, we got Cassandra up and took her outside in a special chair,” Sandy said. “When she moved into our medical ICU from the cardiac ICU, we knew she was going to be there awhile, so we put her in one of the front rooms that has the big windows that look out over top of the park, and you have more trees and scenery. We needed as much stimulation as we could for her.”

In all, more than 20 different departments between the two hospitals worked to save Cassandra.

“It is an army of people who took care of her,” Dr. Alkhalil said. “Medicine has become so specialized, and the human body is so complex, but one person, one discipline, one service is not enough. So you really need all the expertise to take care of those patients.”

After five weeks, Cassandra was able to start rehabilitation. After eight weeks, she was home with her family.

The Moores now have a new outlook on life.

“When I think about it, I’m in disbelief that I was able to get through all of that. It’s thanks to so many people who offered support — the teams at the hospitals and my family,” Cassandra said. “I’m so thankful for everything.”

The post Woman’s life-threatening heart event makes her ‘sickest person in Louisville’ appeared first on Norton Healthcare.

Unfortunately, a medical crisis and devastating diagnosis in 2025 makes it likely they will not see their 21st wedding anniversary. Bonny came to Norton Audubon Hospital on Monday, Jan. 27, with severe abdominal pain. After undergoing emergency surgery, she learned that she has a life-changing terminal diagnosis. She recently transferred to hospice care.  

Bonny learned that her cousin, who was visiting her in the hospital on Jan. 31, had just taken a course to be ordained to perform weddings. She looked over and asked Robert if he would like to renew their vows. 

Robert replied, “Of course I will, honey.” 

When Bonny’s care team at Norton Audubon Hospital found out about the vow renewal plan, they made it their mission to make the event — happening that day — as beautiful as possible. Reaching out to colleagues to assist, one ordered a dozen white roses on Door Dash while another supplied the couple with a plant for the bedside ceremony.

Two decades ago, what made them decide to marry after seven years of dating?

“He’s just a very good man,” Bonny said.

Robert made them both giggle with his reply: “Because she is hot and still is hot!” 

He called Bonny the “biggest-hearted person” he’s ever met. 

Bonny’s care team agrees and calls her an amazing woman who remains upbeat despite her diagnosis.  

“In the short time Bonny has been at Norton Audubon Hospital, she has won over the staff,” said Lindsay Lewis, BSN, R.N., director, invasive cardiology, patient care services “I’m pretty sure they are fighting over who gets to take care of her. 

“I let her know that even though there are times when we are with our patients only for a short time, they leave an impact on us that will stay with us forever.”

Bonny has been one of those patients for the staff on the Progressive Care Unit.  

What would Bonny share with others?

“When you love someone, let them know it — let them know it a lot,” she said. “You can’t lose your mind at the same time, but when you know, you just know.”

She takes it a step further. Each year on her husband’s birthday, she sends Robert’s mother a thank-you card.  

Bonny also wanted to share that the caregivers she has met at Norton Audubon Hospital are amazing, and the list of those who she raved about could go on and on. 

At a time when she was not able to drink or eat anything, yet was craving coffee, she said one of her favorite nurses smelled of coffee, and that just made her morning.

“He smelled so good!” she said.

It’s an important reminder to appreciate the small blessings in life — to be thankful during the good times and make the best of out of the bad. 

When we are given the opportunity to provide blessings during another’s bad time, it can make all the difference in the world.

The post When you love someone, let them know — a lot appeared first on Norton Healthcare.

Today, he’s a bit more cautious about how much time he spends in the sun. In the past three years, Randy has had two basal cell carcinoma skin cancers removed from his face, the first requiring significant reconstruction due to the lesion’s proximity to the left side of his nose and eye socket.

Randy said he didn’t think too much about the initial spot at first. When it grew more noticeable, he asked his primary care physician about it. According to Randy, his family medicine physician, Karalee Bessinger, M.D., at Norton Community Medical Associates primary care in Carrollton, Kentucky, referred him to a dermatologist in LaGrange, Kentucky. That doctor wanted to refer him to a facility in Louisville, Kentucky, because of the lesion’s location and the intricate surgery it would take to remove it.

Not one for city traffic, Randy sought another opinion, turning to Jonathan Hanson, M.D., otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist) with Norton King’s Daughters’ Health in Madison, Indiana. Dr. Hanson met Randy in January 2022 and assured him that he could remove the lesion and provide any necessary reconstruction.

“The art of facial reconstructive surgery takes into account a lot of factors,” said Dr. Hanson, adding that about 15% of his practice includes skin cancer removals on the face, ears, head and neck. “Elasticity of the skin varies from the nose to the cheek to the eye. It’s also important to factor in the shape and location of a patient’s natural skin lines and contours. The goal is to meet surgical needs while minimizing any noticeable incisions when healing is complete.”

During Randy’s first surgery, Dr. Hanson opened a large flap on the left side of Randy’s face, following the natural skin lines under his eye to the edge of his mouth. After fully removing the cancerous lesion, he carefully stitched the seam back together using the natural skin folds along his cheek and eye. Today, you would never know Randy underwent significant facial surgery.

“He’s a fabulous doctor,” Randy said. “He told me exactly what he was going to do and followed up with everything he said he was going to do.”

In May 2024, Randy returned to Dr. Hanson for a second area of concern: an elongated bump just below his right eye. A less extensive surgery was needed, and Dr. Hanson again developed a plan of action and executed it perfectly.

“One reason I enjoy the work is the creativity,” Dr. Hanson said. “Every face and every person is unique. There’s no cookbook or recipe.”

After a life spent farming, working at a factory and serving his country in the Army, Randy relishes his slower pace. He enjoys being home, spending time in his self-proclaimed man cave and watching car racing on television. He and his wife, Carolyn, still live on a 60-acre farm outside Carrollton, near family and friends.

These days on the farm, one thing is different. If you see Randy outside mowing or working on a project, he’s wearing a straw hat. It’s a small price to pay to help keep the sun off his face.

“The earlier we find skin cancers, the better,” Dr. Hanson said. “The smaller they are, we get much better results. It’s easy to ignore them. Any spot that is raised or pigmented or grows or changes needs to be reviewed by a family provider. If they think it’s suspicious, the patient can be referred for follow-up.”

The post Reconstructing damage from skin cancer appeared first on Norton Healthcare.

Brushing your teeth, pouring coffee, lifting food to your mouth — things millions of people do each day without a second thought. But for many who live with essential tremor, simple tasks like these can become impossible. The constant, uncontrollable body tremors can be embarrassing, frustrating and exasperating.

For as long as they can remember, Patrick Murphy and Bob Bender lived this struggle daily.

“As time has gone on, it’s become very obvious,” Patrick said. “I am constantly self-conscious about how [noticeable] it was. And then as soon as I think about it, it gets 10 times worse. You worry about people thinking, ‘What’s wrong with this guy?’ So it kind of builds on itself.”

The experience has been similar for Bob.

“It’s gotten so bad in the past year, that it’s become unbearable,” Bob said. “I will literally go some places and keep my hands in my pockets so people can’t see it. [I wonder if] people ask, ‘Is he going through detox? Is he on drugs?’ I mean, I think about that … I really do.”

After years of this struggle, Patrick and Bob finally found relief at Norton Neuroscience Institute, in the form of a new, incisionless brain surgery that relieved their tremor symptoms in a matter of hours.

On Nov. 13, 2024, Patrick and Bob were the first two people in the state of Kentucky to undergo high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment, sometimes called HiFU, for their tremors.

‘I see the frustration’

Patrick knew as a child that essential tremor was going to be an inevitable part of his future.

The disorder runs in his family, affecting Patrick, his father, brother, nephew and daughter.

“I remember watching my dad,” he said. “We used to work on cars together when we were younger. He would get way more frustrated than I do. But I can remember a lot of cuss words and throwing tools. It just makes you mad.”

Patrick officially was diagnosed with what was then called familial tremors in the early ’90s. Since his diagnosis, life has grown progressively harder.

“I wake up in the morning and immediately notice it,” Patrick said. “It can get better or worse throughout the day, depending on the day — doing things like drinking coffee, moving my mouse around the computer screen, little things.”

‘We do laugh about it, because that’s how we get through it’

“I see the frustration,” Patrick’s wife, Diane, said. “And he says he doesn’t get mad, but he does. In the beginning, I didn’t recognize it at all. But now, I really try to help. Sometimes it’s just easier if I do things, because he’ll spill it. Just watching him eat and miss his mouth [is so hard]. And we do laugh about it, because that’s how we get through it. But I know how frustrating it is.”

He tried several medications, but they didn’t work. He began scouring for a more permanent answer.

Patrick first discovered HiFU roughly five years ago, as he was researching new treatment options for essential tremor patients. He wanted to have the surgery immediately, but he’d have to travel to receive it. Plus, his insurance wouldn’t cover the procedure at the time. But this past summer, he learned Norton Neuroscience Institute had acquired the technology. He quickly scheduled an appointment with movement disorders neurologist Justin T. Phillips, M.D., at Norton Neuroscience Institute. Then Patrick underwent evaluation and was felt to be a good candidate for the surgery.

‘The things that I’ve stopped doing’

Bob noticed his tremors back in the 1970s. Small tremors were made worse by intense exercise. They were frustrating, but they were something he could live with.

In 2012, however, Bob’s life changed dramatically when he was involved in a motorcycle crash. Six months later, the tremors came on with a vengeance. They got progressively worse, affecting every aspect of his life. Roughly three years ago, they became insufferable.

“I don’t go out to eat; I don’t pour milk or coffee; I have to drink from a straw,” Bob said. “It’s unbelievable when you think about it, the things that I’ve stopped doing.”

A recent visit to the gas station showed how tremors can make otherwise routine tasks impossible.

Bob was there to buy some protein bars after a workout. He didn’t have cash at the time, forcing him to pay with his card. Only problem — his tremors prevented him from steadying his hand enough to fit his debit card into the card reader. The line was building up behind him. So was his embarrassment. Eventually, after a few seconds that felt like hours, Bob had to give his card and his PIN to the clerk, who completed the transaction for him. He ran out of the store and immediately changed his PIN.

“It was packed in there,” Bob said. “And there was a big line and they could see it. And it’s just so embarrassing. People are looking and saying, ‘What’s wrong with this guy?’ And I saw a lady and this guy just looking at me. I wanted to say something, because it’s irritating. But this is why I carry cash. That way, I can just pay in cash and if there’s change to give me back I just tell them to keep it for the next person. I don’t even keep track of my change. You have no idea how many times I just want to run out of stores and back to my car and not go in.”

Bob knew he needed help.

He visited with Jason L. Crowell, M.D., also a movement disorders neurologist at Norton Neuroscience Institute. Dr. Crowell explained HiFU and advised him on next steps. After a few evaluations, Bob was felt to be a good candidate for the procedure, to be performed by Abigail J. Rao, M.D., stereotactic and functional neurosurgeon with Norton Neuroscience Institute.

“I was nervous, but I was more excited than nervous to have it done,” Bob said. “When Norton Neuroscience Institute called me and told me they scheduled me to see Dr. Rao, I was shocked.

“I told her, ‘You’re going to be able to get me before Christmas?’ She said, ‘I believe I can do that.’”

What is HiFU

HiFU treatment, also known as high-frequency focused ultrasound or MRI-guided focused ultrasound, is an incisionless brain surgery, in which more than 1,000 ultrasound waves are focused down to the millimeter, creating heat that forms a small lesion, or ablation, in the tremor-causing area of the brain.

The roughly two-hour procedure is performed while patients are lying in an MRI machine. Brief, frequent scans monitor the location, size and temperature of the lesion as it’s created. Patients are awake and alert, allowing the surgeon to test the tremor and neurologic function in real time.

After the procedure, most patients experience dramatic and immediate relief of hand tremor and do not require a hospital stay. That said, the procedure only treats one side of the brain at a time, meaning some patients may wish to have a 2^nd surgery at least nine months later to treat the other side.

“This treatment’s exciting to participate in as a physician, because we see these immediate effects and we can interact with the patient,” Dr. Rao said. “I mean, that’s not why we do it, but instant results are part of what makes it satisfying. With a lot of our surgeries, we’re very happy with great outcomes, but we don’t always see them right then and there. So that’s part of what makes it really special.”

The HiFU procedure was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2016 after years of clinical trials to determine its safety and efficacy.

Norton Neuroscience Institute Cressman Parkinson’s & Movement Disorders Center is the only site in Kentucky to offer HiFU for essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease. Norton Neuroscience Institute is also one of the first health care systems in the country to use an upgraded version of HiFU called Exablate Prime. This upgraded technology allows for a faster procedure and improves the patient’s comfort on treatment day. The technology was purchased with $2.8 million in funding through the Norton Healthcare Foundation.

“We have several patients who’ve reached out to us to learn more and are still considering their options,” Dr. Rao said. “And I think it’s only going to continue to expand. Another thing that will expand is its indications, meaning what we might be able to treat with this technology in the future. It’s really amazing to see. I mean, this is not the only or the first neurosurgical treatment that has immediate effects, but getting testable results that don’t involve any implantation into the brain, or even incision, is very exciting.”

Bob: ‘I am 100% happy’

The surgery was successful for both Patrick and Bob.

Within two hours after surgery, each stood up from the MRI scanner and walked out. As friends and family looked on in tears of joy, and as the clinical team removed the patients’ helmets, the two men looked down at their hands.

For the first time in years, they didn’t shake.

Both Patrick and Bob performed simple post-procedure tests _— drawing spirals, signing their names, even drinking water from a bottle. No shakes. No spills. The improvement was dramatic. The two men stayed for roughly an hour to be monitored for any side effects.

When they were cleared to go, the two men walked out of the hospital visibly changed, ready to do the little things again _— go out to dinner, pour a cup of coffee, put their debit card in a card reader.

For the first time in decades, Patrick and Bob finally felt steady.

“I just want everybody to look at it,” Bob said. “I just want everybody to see it. I mean, it was crazy. It was just … it’s unbelievable. I still can’t wrap my mind around it. I am 100% happy. Emotional, of course. It’s crazy.”

Patrick: ‘Feels like it’s normal’

“It feels amazing,” Patrick said. “It feels like it’s normal, the way I should be. [I’m] just looking forward to people not being able to see me shaking and thinking, ‘Wow, is this person really nervous?’ So that’s the biggest thing — being still in just about everything I do.”

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Six months ago, Gene could only dream of doing that.

“I couldn’t even go like this,” he said as he reached for the sky. “I had some reservations, but I wanted more mobility and [Dr. Givens] made me feel good. So I went for it.”

‘I’d been in pain for 10 years’

Gene’s whole career has been reliant on his hands.

The former meat cutter and maintenance man is retired now but spent more than 30 years doing manual labor. Among other things, the constant use wore away the cartilage in his shoulders. He developed arthritis and eventually tore the rotator cuff in both shoulders.

He was in pain 24/7.

“I’ve been in pain for 10 years,” he said. “I could barely do anything. It affected me every day. I knew I needed help, so that’s what led me down the path to surgery.”

In 2019, Gene had his right shoulder replaced at a facility in Florida. It was a traditional shoulder replacement, but came with unexpected complications. Gene experienced internal bleeding, requiring a seven-day hospital stay. He continues — five years later — to experience neuropathy down his right arm. It was more than three months following that surgery before he could return to work.

“I still have pain in my right shoulder,” Gene said. “And it made me scared to have my left one done. I knew I needed it, but I put it off for a while just because I didn’t want to repeat what happened during the first one.”

Eventually, the pain in his left shoulder became unbearable. He had to find a solution. His primary care provider referred him to Norton Orthopedic Institute and to Dr. Givens.

“I always tell my patients, ‘I don’t save your life; my job is to make your life better,’” Dr. Givens said. “I want you to leave my office with a better life. And so, that’s the way I approach each patient — how can we get them the best long-term result but without a year of torture in between.”

‘I want you to go out and live your life’

Dr. Givens knew Gene needed surgery.

In addition to his arthritis, Gene had a retroverted left socket, a condition that develops when the shoulder socket, called the glenoid, is abnormally angled in relation to the shoulder blade. A  healthy shoulder has about 5 degrees of retroversion. In Gene’s case, it was 45 degrees, meaning his socket was essentially pointing out the back of his body.

To repair it, Dr. Givens needed to reconstruct Gene’s socket and fully replace his shoulder joint. This procedure would be nothing like the one Gene underwent in 2019.

Dr. Givens specializes in a subscapularis-sparing total shoulder replacement, an innovative surgical technique that aims to minimize damage to the subscapularis muscle, which is responsible for shoulder stability and arm mobility. This technique drastically improves surgical outcomes and reduces recovery time, allowing patients to return to their usual, day-to-day lives quicker.

After the doctor and patient discussed the options, Gene agreed to have the surgery. On April 24, 2024, Dr. Givens performed a successful shoulder replacement, using a 3D model to create a custom implant _— fit perfectly for Gene’s body — to reconstruct his glenoid and reposition his shoulder to its correct position.

“I’m big on getting things as they’re supposed to be and then letting you use them,” Dr. Givens said. “Other surgeons put restrictions on patients — either with lifting or movement — but there’s no data that’s ever supported that with the shoulder.

“We know it’s a mechanical part and, in theory, could wear out. But there’s no data to support that it will, so why are we keeping people from being active, working out and bettering their overall health? I want you to go out and live your life.”

Gene was out of a sling in seven days, which is typical for the method used by Dr. Givens. Gene began physical therapy shortly thereafter. In two weeks, he had 140 degrees of motion. By the six-week mark, he was able to lift his arm straight over his head, a stark contrast from where he was in 2019.

This is why when Gene steps into Dr. Givens’ office for his follow-ups, he smiles. He knows it’s a testament to how far he’s come and how the right doctor can make all the difference.

“I was amazed,” Gene said. “Because the right [shoulder] had so many complications … so when Dr. Givens told me I’d be out of a sling in a week, I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ But he was right. I think during my first follow-up, I waved at him from down the hall. Every time I’m in [the office] the staff is shocked at how much I can move, how far I bend.”

“This is a team approach,” Dr. Givens said. “And so, that helps us get people seen and get them seen efficiently as well. And that’s the point of orthopedic specialty clinics and why bring these to our community.”

The post Norton Orthopedic Institute surgeon’s shoulder replacement method brings reduced recovery times, better outcomes appeared first on Norton Healthcare.

Around 4:30 p.m., the 64-year-old licensed cosmetologist sets up shop in the salon of The Pendennis Club of Louisville. It’s very “Hemingway” inside — vintage decor, lots of wood built-ins. The salon is small, just two chairs and a large mirror. It sits right outside the club’s dining room, convenient for when a customer needs to kill time before an appointment with a cocktail.

It’s in this small salon where Michael gets to live out his passion, one scissor snip at a time.

“I get to come down here and kind of just hang out with the guys and cut their hair,” Michael said. “It balances me out, and it’s a lot of fun. I enjoy it more than anything, to tell you the truth. I just love the camaraderie.”

Michael’s officially been a hairdresser since 1986, when he graduated from Roy’s Beauty School on Dixie Highway. But he’s been cutting hair since he was 16, while still a student at Iroquois High School.

“When I first started it, I liked what happened when I lifted hair up, cut it and let it fall,” Michael said. “Then somebody put a $5 bill in my hand. At age 16, I was looking at that, and that was the hook. I said, ‘You’re going to pay me to do this?’”

It became his life’s work, decades behind the chair. He’s opened and closed salons over the years, and eventually began teaching young hairdressers at Empire Beauty School, sharing the skills necessary to begin their careers. But since 2004, Michael’s been at The Pendennis Club on Fridays, caring for the members who helped him begin his life outside the salon.

“When I first started working, I was apprenticeship teaching, and only making $13,000,” Michael said. “I was engaged to be married at the time, and working at the club allowed me to make the loan for my first home.”

On this particular Friday, Michael’s cutting the hair of his older son, Jared, getting him looking right before the weekend. His hands move smoothly, as though meant for this kind of work.

It’s work that, just a few months ago, Michael was unable to do without excruciating pain.

‘I put it off and kept working’

It was February 2013.

Michael was on his way out the door, when he slipped on ice and fell on top of his car. His arm bent like a wing. He was immediately in pain, and later was diagnosed with a dislocated right shoulder and a torn rotator cuff.

He visited Ryan J. Krupp, M.D., orthopedic surgeon at Norton Orthopedic Institute, who determined Michael needed a shoulder replacement. Michael, however, wasn’t ready to dedicate the time and resources for that extensive of a procedure.

“I was only 55 years old at the time,” Michael said. “So I put it off and kept working. I didn’t want to do [surgery], so I waited and did physical therapy, lightweight exercises. I would just have to stop and rest my arm and go back to it.”

The pain impacted his work dramatically. Michael could only cut hair for two to three minutes before having to stop and shake his arms out. His haircuts began to double in time. He knew he couldn’t go on like this forever.

“It was terrible,” Michael said. “It put me in a bad mood. In my business, time is money. And then I was taking over-the-counter pain medication, which was messing up my body. So it was just something I couldn’t put off any longer.”

‘We had a great plan’

As coincidence would have it, Michael found the answer to his shoulder issues while getting his knees examined.

He was introduced to Joshua J. Christensen, M.D., orthopedic surgeon at Norton Orthopedic Institute, who talked to Michael about the possibility of a reverse shoulder replacement. The two of them collaborated on a treatment plan, and Michael finally agreed to have the procedure.

“Typically, a rotator cuff tear is something we see on an MRI,” Dr. Christensen said. “But, when the tear is big enough or has been there for long enough, we can actually see the changes with the ball shifting up the socket on the X-rays. So [in Michael’s case] we already knew his rotator cuff tear was unrepairable. He was having symptoms on a daily basis, symptoms of pain and limited range of motion and strength that were preventing him from doing his job. And so, this was the perfect solution for him in that case.”

On Feb^. 6, 2024, Dr. Christensen performed successful reverse shoulder replacement surgery. During the roughly 45-minute procedure, he removed the old shoulder ball, placed a short stem down the center of Michael’s humerus and fixed a new socket to the top of that stem. Where the old socket used to be, Dr. Christensen inserted a base plate with screws and placed the new ball on that site.

This surgery, unlike a conventional shoulder replacement, relies on the deltoid muscle, instead of the rotator cuff, to power and position the arm. It essentially recreates the function of the rotator cuff to allow for better mobility and strength.

Michael went into surgery around 7:30 a.m. and was back in his recliner chair at home by lunchtime.

“I can’t say enough about Dr. Christensen’s technique,” Michael said. “We had a great plan before, a great plan during and a great plan after. And it all turned out well.”

“When you meet somebody like [Michael], somebody’s who’s really struggling to do the things they need to do, that is why we get into doing what we do,” Dr. Christensen said. “On an everyday basis, sometimes it’s a tough slog to get through a long day in the operating room. But when you see someone back like him, who’s really doing amazing, it really does make it worth it.”

‘I’ll always be behind the chair’

Michael’s recovery went as smoothly as he had hoped.

He was diligent about icing his arm. After one week at home, he began walking 3 to 5 miles a day. It helped him lose almost 15 pounds after surgery. After just six weeks, he was back at work.

Now four months after his procedure, Michael’s life has returned to normal, and he’s cutting hair like he did when he was 16.

“I just did a full highlight and a haircut in my salon and knocked it out in 48 minutes,” Michael said. “I did it like I used to do.”

He’s thankful to be back at The Pendennis Club on Fridays, in his rightful place behind the chair of the old salon. He’s thankful for the clientele supporting him through his recovery. And, he’s thankful for his new shoulder and the man who created it.

“You’ve got to be here because you want to be here. It can look like a glamorous job, but it’s hard work,” Michael said. “[The surgery] was everything. I like to say I’m going to live ’til 100 years old. And eventually, I’ll retire from teaching, but I’ll always be behind the chair. I enjoy doing this so much; it’s who I am.”

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