Spine Program
Patient Stories

RACHAEL SMART

17-year-old Rachel Smart is your typical high school senior. She loves socializing with her friends, is excited about going away to college soon and aspires to be an actress some day. But up until about a year ago, Rachel’s self-esteem was severely affected by her scoliosis. When Rachel was nine years old, she was diagnosed with the spine condition. She wore a brace for two and a half years, but as she grew, her curvature worsened. Her case was severe – she had an 80 degree curvature and her condition was taking a serious toll on her body. Not only was she physically affected by a noticeable hump, her scoliosis began to compromise her breathing and affected her abdominal reflexes.

Fortunately, Rachel and her parents were referred to Dr. Geck in August of 2008. Rachel was extremely apprehensive about having the invasive, spine-correcting surgery; however, after speaking with Dr. Geck at great length, she agreed to undergo the procedure. “I felt like Dr. Geck treated me like an adult when he explained what would happen during and after my surgery. That made me feel more at ease about having the procedure,” explains Rachel. Rachel’s mother, Diane is a registered nurse and appreciated the detailed explanation Dr. Geck provided them all and how the entire medical team attended to all of Rachel’s needs.

Two steel rods and 20 screws later, Rachel has become a different person, according to her parents. Her recovery was long, but not only did she gain two inches in height, she gained an invaluable amount of confidence and self esteem. In the past, she was limited to the types of clothes she could wear because of her condition. Today, she not only wears the latest styles in clothing, she also proudly wears her scar from the spine-correcting procedure. Even after her surgery, Rachel continues to cheer for her school and now swims, dives and plays racquetball. “I am determined not to let my scoliosis condition define me,” explains Rachel.

MARCIA EHLERS

Marcia Ehlers has been living with scoliosis for more than 55 years. Doctors originally told Ehlers her condition was hereditary and treatment options were nonexistent. She never wore a brace and by the time she turned 35, her posture was noticeably crooked. “My condition wasn’t debilitating, but it did get to the point where I couldn’t button my sweaters because one shoulder was higher than the other,” explains Ehlers. She also started to wear a lift in one shoe to compensate for the differences in length in her legs. Her biggest frustration was no being able to wear certain clothes like skirts or blouses.

Doctors began to tell Marcia that she would end up in a wheelchair if she did not have corrective surgery for her scoliosis.

A trip to Thailand really opened her eyes to the severity of her scoliosis. While she and her husband toured different temples, they were required to take off their shoes before entering. Her husband videotaped the temples. “That’s when I saw just how crooked my posture was without my shoes with lifts,” explains Marcia. It was then that she decided to seek medical treatment.

“I had never had an operation my entire life and I thought I was too old to have surgery. Then I met Dr. Geck and he explained how the procedure would correct my curvature. I was really skeptical and he completely put me at ease,” says Marcia.
It has been over a year since Dr. Geck operated on Marcia and corrected her spine with two steel rods and 22 screws. Life has definitely taken a turn for the better. “It was a long recovery, but worth every minute,” Marcia happily explains. She gained two inches in height, is now able to exercise and says she is in the best shape of her life. Marcia goes to her local senior center several times a week to exercise, but she says one of her biggest enjoyments in life now is line dancing with her husband. She says that would have never been possible before her life-changing surgery.

STACY MCFARLAND

Stacy McFarland’s biggest passion is being a mom to her two year old daughter, Avree. She also loves her career as a realtor. She spends hours getting in and out of her car, showing homes throughout Austin. But motherhood and her career would have caused her severe back pain had she not undergone spinal correction surgery for her scoliosis five years ago.

Stacy was diagnosed with scoliosis when she was 11 years old. She had a 35 degree curvature and wore a back brace for about seven years and saw some improvement. But after a few years of not wearing it, her curvature returned with a vengeance, this time advancing to about 50 degrees. “I couldn’t sit in a chair for long periods of time and experienced constant back pain,” recalls Stacy.

Her husband spent hours on the internet researching for top scoliosis experts in Central Texas. His thorough research led him to Dr. Geck who performed corrective surgery on Stacy. For the first month of recovery, Stacy says she had limited mobility. “But after about six months, I started walking for exercise and after a year, I could do anything,” explains Stacy.

She got pregnant with her son and started participating in boot camps. “I could even do sit-ups and push-ups during the camp. I never thought that would be possible!” says Stacy. She’s also an avid runner now and is able to exercise without back pain. In fact, Stacy and her husband have planned a snow skiing trip this winter.

“Dr. Geck performed the corrective surgery that has allowed me to move forward with my life,” Stacy says.

ROBIN SEELEY

Four years ago, 53-year-old Robin Seeley says she was one step away from living in a nursing home. She was diagnosed with spinal stenosis as a teenager and was in two car accidents over the years. This caused decades of chronic pain.

Living with severe spinal stenosis also began to take a dangerous toll on her body. She had spinal compressions in three different areas of her spine which caused her to lose muscle function in her right arm. Her bladder function was also affected. She had to give up her career as a photographer because she experienced severe pain on a daily basis. “It affected every area of my life. I was becoming a burden to my family and at one point, I felt extremely depressed about my situation,” recalls Robin.

The summer of 2005 completely changed her life. She was referred to Dr. Stokes, who finally gave her the hope she was looking for. Her performed five bone fusions and surgically implanted two rods and 20 screws to treat Robin’s spinal stenosis. Robin says she now has the most mobility she has had in years. She is able to do the simple things now, like lift her purse and do so many of the daily activities most people take for granted.

“I have regained my quality of life again and Dr. Stokes is the one who gave it back to me,” says Robin.