On May 15, 2024, my world was turned upside down when I fell from a tractor loader and broke my back in two places. That evening, I was in one of the two major trauma centers in the area, Atrium in Concord. Things looked bad, so much so that I was scheduled overnight for major spinal fusion surgery with rods and pins to stabilize my back. With those rods and pins, running, cycling and most farming activities were done.

I chose not to do the metal fusion in hopes of healing naturally, even though the surgeons disagreed. So began the most important journey of my life! As I write this column tonight, 16 months later, life is very good, and I have returned to near normal.

Two doctors made the difference, one the trauma doctor who advised against the spinal fusion and the other, a very specia

See Full Page