(Article source Bon Secours 757 Good Health Blog, March 13, 2013)
Ann Hoopes was in a desperate situation. So desperate, in fact, that no physician was willing or capable of helping her. In 1999 while in her early 40s, she was stricken with a condition that bent her spine into a 90 degree angle. Doctors were unable to diagnose the cause or find a treatment. For 13 years, Mrs. Hoopes endured pain so strong that she was on morphine. She was virtually housebound because she was embarrassed to go out in public. She and her husband traveled to five states seeking relief for her pain. She says, “No one would take me after seeing my x-rays.”
During a visit last summer to see pain specialist Dr. Quigley, Mrs. Hoopes’ breakthrough finally came. Dr. Quigley told Mrs. Hoopes that he knew a doctor he thought could help her. He referred her to Dr. J. Abbott Byrd, who first saw Mrs. Hoopes in July 2012. Mrs. Hoopes says, “Dr. Byrd examined my x-rays. He then asked me when did I want to have surgery. I was surprised and skeptical at first because so many doctors told me they could not help me. I had even been told that I would never walk upright again. Dr. Byrd was so confident that he could straighten my spine that I decided to trust him and have the surgery.”
The surgery was performed at Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center in two stages, the first on October 12, 2012 and the second on November 2. During the first stage, Dr. Byrd inserted cages in her back to make space for the reconstruction that would occur during the second operation. Mrs. Hoopes explains, “They straightened my spine, rebuilding each vertebra so now the blood can circulate into the spongy areas between them. I can walk normally again.”
Prior to the surgery, Mrs. Hoopes measured 5’1″. Now, with her spine straightened, she is her true height of 5’8″. Mrs. Hoopes says, “God sent Dr. Byrd to me. He is a miracle worker who gave me a new lease on life. I am now the person I once was. I have hope.”
